A Blooming Delicious Little Lunch!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you will probably be aware that this weekend marks Ireland's annual gardening festival, Bloom, which takes place in the Phoenix park, Dublin.  Now although I'm not a big man for the flowers and the pretty stuff, I have a big interest in the growing with a view to eating!  In the last few years there has really been a huge push towards growing your own vegetables, with groups like GIY springing up and going from strength to strength.  You can put it down to the recession and people becoming aware of the many food miles some of the produce in supermarkets have to go to in order to reach our plates, but along with those highly valid reasons personally, I think the sheer success of growing it yourself it's down to pure and utter enjoyment.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad

Last weekend we spent clearing our jungle of a garden and now I can safely say it's looking pretty good. The best addition to our back yard is a little table and two chairs; we've been eating outside all week long! Even though it's a little nippy when the sun goes in, we are persisting and enjoying the great outdoors. The lovely thing about working with food is that you become very aware of changing seasons and I think my tastes have begun to adapt.

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My Top Tips For Growing A Herb Garden!

Whether you have a huge garden or a little balcony, Growing herbs at home means you will always have a good supply to add to your recipes when you need it. Herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme are hardy enough to keep you going throughout the year. Oregano and mint tend to prefer the spring and summer months.  I love being able to head out into the garden to pick big wads of fresh herbs which go great in marinades, dressings and salads.  More than anything it saves on buying packs from the supermarket which can be an extremely expensive habit to get into.

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