I’m the worst sort of vegetarian - a fussy one. I could be possibly the only vegetarian on the planet than doesn’t really like salad. I could eat it if it’s with something - say a beanburger in a bun - but a bowful of salad is one of my worst nightmares. And funnily enough, I don’t really like eggs either. The ones our hens lay get used by Rich, or sold for £1 a half dozen to friends, family and from the garden gate. Any eggs that I eat go into cakes and bakes - try a sponge with 3 large fresh free range eggs and really taste the difference. We’re only getting a couple a day at the moment - Cynthia is probably waiting for a turn in the weather and Yoko with her sterile EYP is a non-goer. She’s actually better at the moment, her swelling has gone down and she’s running around again, despite looking a bit raggedy as she’s in the throes of her moult.

You may be thinking “well what on earth does she eat then”, and I would reply, plenty! I’m expanding my horizons you see, trying to plant out new vegetables this year to add to my cullinary experiences. So far I’ve invested in some pink fir apple seed potatoes, as well as trying aubergines, a variety of squashes/curcubits and broad beans. I’ve got completely stuck in a rut with my cooking, and although I often manage to get my 5 fruit and veg a day, typically they’re the same 5 fruit and veg. Oh of course I’ll be growing potatoes, onions and carrots this year, I’ll probably have them growing out my ears by the end of the season. I wouldn’t be without them, they’re the basis of any good meal. But I’m taking Carol Klein’s advice from her Grow Your Own Veg book - try and grow things that are hard to find or expensive in the supermarket. One thing I’ve got to look into is some fruit cages this year - both Rich and I are ardent fans of berries in all shapes, colours and sizes.

I’m also trying to eat seasonally, the plan being that one day I’ll just have to walk out the back door and pull up or pick dinner. Last night I made one of my favourite simple seasonal dinners, my Simple Leek Soup:

Simple Leek Soup (for 2 people):

2 or 3 medium potatoes (chopped)

3 or 4 leeks (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

Olive oil

Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Veg stock (preferably marigold)

Directions: Put some olive oil in a pan, add the potatoes, leeks and onions and sweat down for about 10 mins on a very low heat. Then add about 2 pints of water and veg stock (1 heaped dessert spoon of stock per pint) and stir. Add a dash of ground cayenne pepper or chilli powder (schwarz is probably best), sprinkle of salt and plenty of ground cracked black pepper. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer on a low heat for about 50mins, stirring occasionally. Take off heat, and then whizz up with a hand blender to a smoother consistency. Serve immediately with crusty bread, or leave to cool and store in fridge overnight and reheat the next day for slightly deeper flavour. Easy and damned tasty!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 9:28 pm and is filed under foodie, fruit, seeds, hens, veg. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.