These juicy shots are principally for the delight and delectation of my Aussie friend Helen, who is a great proponent of all sorts of heritage fruit and vegetables. For the first time in many years we have grown tomatoes outside in London, planted in raised beds. They have kept us in petite red and gold fruits since August, with lots more to come. We have room for double the number of plants next year, so I can be more adventurous with my choice of varieties. Spurring me on is this super assortment of fruits purchased at Broadstairs Food Festival at the weekend. They were grown locally at Thanet Earth, the UK’s largest greenhouse complex, and taste as good as they look. Him Indoors has been making soups and pasta sauces with them, but they’re amazing simply sliced and sprinkled with salt, balanced on lightly grilled, olive oil-drizzled Italian bread. Heaven!
More sweet and savoury goings on tomorrow when I visit the RHS London Harvest Festival Show in the Lindley Hall.
Categories: Food and Drink, Fruit and Veg
Divine!!!!! I am salivating – how exquisite do they look . I have just planted my first ‘batch’, all heritage, and have so many other varieties in the propagation trays – lots of exciting new babies to tend to. Will send pictures in a couple of months. Wish I had more time in the day as so much to do in the veggie patches at the moment – carrots, beans, beetroot, potato onions, 5 varieties of potatoes all in, everything else in the seed trays ready to plant next week – off to Japan and south Korea this arfo for 5 days, so have to get Mr. Birdy Boy to keep his eye on my babies so they survive until I get back.
Thanks Dan – the picture did give me a huge smile and I would so so so love to be with you at Lindley Hall tomorrow. Maybe next year….
H
We are still enjoying home grown tomatoes and loving every one of them. The hoops we put over ours has definitely extended the season for us since we have had several hard frosts.
Delicious! We still have few outdoors but now the weather has changed I think their days are numbered. Never mind, won’t be long til next summer 🙂
Can’t come soon enough. I think I’ve had enough of Christmas already 😉
And you are Mr Christmas!
I’d like to go part time!
Some people say that vegetables grown hydroponically don’t taste as good as those grown in soil. What do you think? Did your tomatoes taste different in any way? Helen
I have to say Thanet Earth’s tomatoes win over our own. Our garden just doesn’t get the sun needed to develop the best flavour. They are lovely, but I don’t think you can beat a good baking to really develop sweetness and tang. Dan