February 2026
The heated propagator is filling up fast- the Zebrune shallots are up and gleaming like little sticks of fluorescent light dancing across the compost. The tomatoes are through and happy, and the next successions of beetroot and spinach, chard and spring cabbage are out. Whilst we prick out (move tiny seedlings into bigger cell blocks) the different types of lettuce and fill tray upon tray, I feel an immense sense of relief that we’ve made it through the cold, dark months to the season where hope and light return.
In the tunnels the greening is happening- where the longer daylight hours mean the plants that have been stunted by the dark winter days are suddenly growing again, and the weeds with them! For the first time this year I get down on my hand and knees and weed the spring onions, the parsley and coriander, the next cut of spinach. I could do most of this with a hoe, but it’s so joyful to have a quiet moment to sink my hands into the soil, and so satisfying looking back up the rows of neat and clean beds. But I only get ten minutes of this at a time whilst the kids play helter-skelter up the walk ways before I whisk them out and back into the cold so they don’t accidentally damage those beautiful green leaves! Such is life. I’ll leave it to Joe and Jane and Meg to clean the tunnel completely.
It’s easy, at this time of year, to feel utterly overwhelmed by the looming year ahead- all the plants to grow and weed and crop and sell, let alone the wholesaling and box packing and shop sides of the business. But luckily we have a stellar team that are all problem solvers! Anyway the important tasks always sift their way to the top, but one of the items we’ve been talking about for a long time now that I’m hoping to move forward this year is developing recipe cards for our box and shop customers.
Now we’re stocking and growing more unusual varieties, and sending more and more set boxes out, we’ve been talking about how useful it would be to have a little stock of recipes you can call on in case a celeriac or kalette has you flummoxed!
It’s also a really nice way of sharing the recipes that we use in our staff kitchen, that Torrin has collected from his career as a veggie chef, and a few of us have adapted from work in restaurants and cafes. So that brings me to you! Do you have a recipe using some of our veg that you fall back on time and again? Would you mind sharing it with us? From glutneys and dressings to generations of hand-me-downs scribbled on yellowed paper, we’d love to know if you have any essential recipes that turn up time and again in your home cooking. The simpler the better!
Right I’m off to steal another ten minutes in the tunnels, wishing you all a swift end to winter and a bright coming spring.
Great right now:
Salad! Winter salad, heavy with chicories and endive is just delicious right now and real taste of the season. Cavolo Nero is dwindling off but we should have plenty of kale for the time being. Red radicchio heads are perfect for quartering and roasting in a low oven with honey, thyme and olive oil. Broccoli and cauliflower are generally in good supply with appearances from Romanesco when we can get it! Leeks, celeriac, swede all from Scotland and delicious if a little muddy!
The Mediterranean veg is understandably expensive at this time of year but we’re seeing some reductions so hoping we’re nearly over the worst of it! White onions are now French as the last of the UK offering were a bit sprouty, carrots and potatoes still from Phillip in Hereford and excellent as usual. The carrot season may be a little shorter that usual but we’ll keep you posted and the Spanish washed will remain in stock.
On the fruit front we’ve crested the wave and are now on the other side of citrus season- the fruit is being picked ripe so it doesn’t have the longevity of the pre-Christmas citrus, but it is utterly delicious and so juicy. We’ve switched from Navel oranges to Lanelate- a later, thinner skinned and very juicy variety. Blood oranges, pink Cara Cara, kumquats, mandarins, lemons all abundant. Blueberries are a bit hit and miss- but the Spanish season of berries has started- and we have raspberries and in a few weeks strawberries available which is exciting.
UK pears have come to an end after a lovely season of conference, but we have a few different varieties from Europe now. This week we have Williams Red and we should see Williams and their similar counterparts for a few months yet. Apples are changing every other week but they’re all from Mole End in Kent so the quality is exceptional- we’re also running the French and Italian Story apple as they’re so popular and very delicious.
And lastly a beautiful parsnip heart for Dydd Santes Dwynwen on the 25th of January! <3