Our simple homemade Damson Gin recipe will be great in a few months, ready for autumn! Ingredients 1 Litre Gin 500g Damsons 250g Caster Sugar Method Rinse and remove any leaves and stalks from the Damsons, then pat dry. Tip into a freezer bag and freeze overnight. The next day, bash the bag of damsons… Continue reading Damson Gin
Author: Ashridge Support
Fig, Apple & Halloumi Salad
Ingredients 10 fresh figs halved 60g honey 100ml olive oil 2 x 250g blocks halloumi, thickly sliced, then halved 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 150g rocket 1 x eating apple, peeled, cored & finely sliced 2 tbsp flaked toasted almonds Method Heat the grill to its highest setting. Put the fig halves (Brown Turkey Figs are… Continue reading Fig, Apple & Halloumi Salad
Raspberry Compote
The home-grown fruit and veg cropping in abundance bring with them the soothing, homely prospect of making jams, jellies and chutneys. Do have a look below for the Ashridge team’s favourite recipe for raspberry compote. Compote Ingredients Method Want to grow your own raspberries? Visit our online shop and see all the soft fruit we… Continue reading Raspberry Compote
Planting Combinations for June
The long days of summer have finally arrived. But now the last spring bulbs have faded away and with a month or so before later summer stalwarts such as rudbeckia, echinacea and salvias begin to flower, how can we enjoy colour and beauty in our early summer borders? Quintessential Cottage Emily Bronte Cottage borders really… Continue reading Planting Combinations for June
Drought-proof Gardening
It’s been the driest April on record in the UK and the weather continues to represent drought conditions, and my London garden is looking pretty parched. The water butt at the far end, which collects rainwater from the shed roof, is empty, so I’ve been lugging watering cans up to my raised veg beds every… Continue reading Drought-proof Gardening
The Best Plants for a Wildlife Hedge
A good hedge is an invaluable addition to any garden. From the outside, it delineates and disguises boundaries, creating structure in a space. Up close (and there’s no better way to get a close-up view than by learning the ancient art of hedge laying) it reveals shady spots on the ground and well concealed areas… Continue reading The Best Plants for a Wildlife Hedge
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Heritage Fruit: History in the Garden
Growing and harvesting fruit is one of the great joys of gardening. Nothing quite matches the luxury of eating warm raspberries and blueberries straight from the garden, picking the first rosy Worcester Pearmain of the season in September, or finding the soft fuzz has rubbed off the quinces in mid-October, revealing shiny yellow pear-shaped fruits… Continue reading Heritage Fruit: History in the Garden
Bring on the blossom
Every year the anticipation mounts. I look out of my bedroom window at the ornamental plum tree on the street, scouring its deep claret branches for signs that the colour is changing, life stirring within. Subtly, from a solid winter opacity to something with just a hint of deepest rose. Sometimes I think I see… Continue reading Bring on the blossom
Falling for leaves
November is a month when I struggle with the shorter hours of daylight, and the prospect of those seemingly interminable months of bleakness to come. Don’t talk to me of hygge or cosying up by the fire. I want to be out there, inspired by the colours and new life of the garden. I start… Continue reading Falling for leaves