Gardening
Allotments
Recipes from Manor Garden
Camilla Swift shares delicious recipes from the gardeners at the Manor Garden Allotments
Reg, a retired graphic designer, has recently moved to Dagenham but he still comes to Manor Garden allotments every day. He inherited the scrap of land from his father who, during the Second World War, relied on the vegetables he grew to feed the family.
Reg's allotment salad (serves 6-8)
The point of this delicious salad is to gather whatever you have ready in the garden. Reg is the expert salad maker on the allotment.
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 kos lettuce, outer leaves removed, cut into 1cm slices
- 2 small new season's onions or spring onions, sliced into thin rings (with a little bit of green stem, too)
- 2 small red onions, finely chopped
- 2 beetroots, raw, grated or cut into matchsticks
- 2 carrots, grated
- 2 handfuls purslane, chopped roughly
- 6 cherry tomatoes in quarters or
- 3 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, chopped roughly
- 1 kohl rabi, grated
- 2 sweet peppers, green or red, chopped
- 1-2 fresh chillies (optional)
- 1 bulb of fennel and leaves chopped
- 1 handful sorrel, shredded
- 3 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbs chopped fresh mint
- 6 tbs olive oil juice of 1 lemon or 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and black pepper
Put everything in a large salad bowl. Pour over the dressing, season with salt and pepper. The salad will have a purple/red hue from the beetroot.
Hassan's cracked potatoes with coriander seed (serves 6)
Hassan, one of Rick Stein's food heroes has owned a plot for 14 years. His shed is a Boy's Own den, complete with hob, fridge and a radio wired up to speakers. He's a car mechanic by trade but he practically lives at the allotments. He is an excellent cook as well as a wonderful gardener and is always generous with his time and wise counsel.
- 1 kg fresh small /new potatoes, washed, skins on
- 1 tbs whole coriander seed, roughly ground
- Enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your saucepan by 2cm
- Glass red wine
- Sea salt and black pepper
Crack each potato slightly with a rolling pin or mallet. Salt well and stand for 5 minutes. Place a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil. When just hot, add the coriander and potatoes and stir well. Put on a tight lid and turn the heat to low. Cook for 20-30 minutes, giving the pan a good shake every 5 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat, pour over the wine and a little black pepper, shake well, then let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Manor Garden Allotment www.lifeisland.org
