A pretty quiet day in North Parade yesterday……but just as I was about to close up the shop, in walks Rory McGrath with his usual big grin! We both went to the same school in Cornwall and like me, he’s a great lover of Cornwall – so it was off to to the Rose and Crown to have a quick beer and a natter with Andrew, the genial landlord.

Unfortunately I was then a little late meeting up with Emma……sorry Em!

And…..action!

I’m not usually a great lover of Mondays, but today has been a little more interesting than a normal start to the week.  Apart from John and Chris popping in to chat about the blog and the tales they wish to write about, a small film crew arrived in North Parade Avenue.

Apparently the filming was for a possible advertisement, so I’m hoping to learn more soon.  It was great to see some lovely images of the street and of course, The Town Garden….

….and it did take me back to the work I used to get involved with at BA all those years ago!

Steve

welly to belly

It’s a real pleasure to welcome John and Chris with their tales from the allotment……local to the store of course!  Both will be posting their comments and thoughts and hopefully open a discussion on your tips on growing vegetables.

it’s been a long time!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since our last posting on the blog…..absolutely no excuse.  

I spend so much of my time chatting away in the shop and outside on North Parade Avenue – there’s enough news and views I should be transposing to the blog. So, we begin the talkback in earnest….lots to tell!

Those two are at it again!

Just back from Wolvercote where I picked up our morning delivery of bread from Penny and Dragan. I couldn’t wait to get here to take some pictures of their latest surprise for me.

              

What a perfect example of garden and local produce together.

As usual, the smell of the bread was too much for me again. Out came the toaster, a mug of tea, some of our local preserves….and there it is.

The Town Garden breakfast.

Penny and Dragan do it again. …….’Love Loaves’ from Wolvercote.

Springing back into action

It’s been a little while since my last ramblings, but a lot has been on my mind recently, and the blog has taken second place. Loads to say, and I’ll try to catch up with what’s been happening here at The Town Garden and in North Parade Avenue.

Even though the past few days have given us a taste of Spring, the long cold Winter felt as though it began at the end of September and continued through to March. Normally we would be fully in the midst of a busy time for gardeners, it has been very quiet I must admit. Weather – or recession?

Unfortunately, Pete had a great opportunity to involve himself with a local foodie, Will Pougets’ Vaults and Garden Cafe. Although it was a great loss to us, it’s certainly Will’s gain and I wish him much luck – and trust he’ll be back at The Town Garden soon. Customers ask for him daily!

Vegetables from North Aston Organics still remain a firm favourite, and the bread from Love Loaves is always in demand. With a little luck this year, I’d really like to ramp up the food offering. I have a local resident who is a passionate collector of wines, including a selection of organic ones at that too – and he’s really keen to sell these through The Town Garden.

Cheese, wines, vegetables, garden goods…….and when the weather finally breaks, a cup of tea and a slice of cake outside on the terrace beside the shop. Wouldn’t that be lovely.

Time to spring back into action.

Ladies and Gentlemen….a toast!

I skipped breakfast at home this morning, which does happen most mornings, but I make up for it with a good bowl of porridge at the shop.

However, not long after opening, Dragan walks in with our daily delivery of warm fresh bread…….the smell of which hit me instantly.

Minutes after he left, I’m tucking my way through a large slab of buttered toast…yummy, yummy.

A toast , which quickly turned into another piece, followed by another….you get the story.

So unfortunately I’m a loaf down – but the gorgeous smell of fresh toast wafted into the street. And two hours later – all the bread has gone!

where do they get the energy?

During my brief visit to pick up our daily supply of Love Loaves, Dragan told me they had just launched a new website. I looked at it this morning and it captures the passion and care this lovely couple have in everything they do.

They’re both up in the early hours baking our bread every morning, which would tire most people, yet on top of their baking skills, Penny is a copywriter, and Dragan works as both a magician and corporate entertainer.

Well, you could suggest that a lot of us have more than two jobs.

But Dragan also runs a charity in India, and has just come back from a week long trip teaching children to bake bread – and some of his magical trickery. And whilst he’s there – Penny bakes and delivers all the bread on her own…..not forgetting her other jobs too!

And in all the time I’ve known these two people, I’ve never seen them without a smile on their faces.

Steve

Sorry – I forgot to add that Dragan also finds time to take stunning photographs and sells his work online too.

just thinking…

….Pete is sitting here healthily eating a raw carrot, as I walk in chewing on a Mars Bar.

Now where do I go to learn how to boil an egg?

Steve

a new dish

When I started at the shop I knew the style I wanted, it had to be vintage with a sense of the traditional greengrocers shop, enamel bowls, old fashioned scales, wooden crates and woven baskets. It’s taken time to accumulate what I have already and it’s an ongoing search for me and V as we trawl through antiques markets and bric-a-brac shops looking for our next purchase. It’s very much a labour of love as we prefer to buy vintage cutlery and crockery for our home rather than buying new. It all adds to the pleasure of cooking and to the presentation of lovely, fresh local produce!

We found a great bric-a-brac shop this weekend that was jam packed full of stuff.    

We came away with a dish that we couldn’t wait to use.

The recipe is lamb and squash curry.

You need to use shoulder or neck of lamb cut into cubes. Season the meat with ground cumin and coriander, salt and pepper. Brown the seasoned meat in a pan. Take the meat out and add onion, garlic, fresh ginger and curry powder, saute until the onions are softened, then return the meat to the pan along with a bay leaf, and a good quality spicy, fuity chutney, we used Tracklements curried fruit chutney from the shop.

Add enough water to just cover the meat, bring to the boil and simmer gently for one hour.

Add to the pot a crown prince or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes and cook for a further one hour until the lamb is very tender.

Serve with brown rice or flatbreads.

It’s a lovely sweet, mild curry with a depth of flavour and it tasted even better in our new dish.

Pete