Forget the Rainbow Bridge; this one keeps them off it. "The UK’s first heathland green bridge is due to open in Surrey next month to help snakes, toads and badgers cross the busy A3, National Highways says.” #heathlandgreenbridge

We’re building a heavy-duty polytunnel from scratch on the allotment kitchen garden. The aim is simple: year-round organic produce and fewer reasons to rely on supermarkets. Cutting out the middleman starts in the soil. #KitchenGarden

A “miracle tree” can remove up to 98% of microplastics from drinking water, outperforming some chemical treatments. A plant doing what industrial processes struggle with. #Microplastics

New asparagus bed, properly prepared with fresh seaweed, well-rotted manure and homemade compost. Gijnlim, Guelph Millennium and Pacific Purple going in. Good ground matters more than anything with asparagus. #KitchenGarden 🌞🌱👩‍🌾

Without them there is no life: the race to understand the mysterious world of Africa’s fungi.

Baked a giouvetsi with orzo using lamb neck. Exceptionally tender, which is what it should be at this time of year. Greek workshop training still earning its keep. #FarmToTable 🍽️

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟏𝟏 🌶️ Week eleven. Now in the greenhouse and potted on. Mulched with compost and seaweed, then inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi. With this level of attention, it should have no excuses. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

uh-huh

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟏𝟏 🌶️ Week eleven. Now in the greenhouse and potted on. Mulched with compost and seaweed, then inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi. With this level of attention, it should have no excuses. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

Pleased to say this week’s episode of the Kitchen Cabinet is finally up on sounds. Apologies for the delay www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Excellent. A little vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche doesn't hurt...clotted cream maybe...biscuit on the side. OOooo, hey maybe a strawberry rhubarb short cake?! Bet that would be wicked.

We have another great interview with Ravenous co-founder @francesdoingthings.bsky.social today, where she talks about advertisers creeping into editorial independence, and also the superiority of spam sushi www.weareravenous.com/frances-duml...

Rhubarb pushing its way out of the forcer on the allotment. Grown in the dark, it comes out tender, almost silk-like, with a softer acidity. Going into a crumble later - very little sugar needed. #KitchenGarden 🎋

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟏𝟎 🌶️ Week ten. It’s bushing out and the stem is thickening. This weekend it leaves home, moving into the greenhouse with a fresh pot and soil. Apparently, it’s ready. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

Good Friday morning. Fresh from the oven, a batch of sourdough hot cross buns with citrus and spice. Breakfast’s on me. #HotCrossBuns ✩°𓏲⋆🌿. ⋆⸜ 🍵✮˚

Soaking my Ozark bell pepper 🫑 seeds in chamomile tea for better and faster germination.

🍽️🍜 Baby girl was home yesterday for her last Spring Break, she graduates in May, and she requested a crawfish boil so that's what she got. It's a lot of work but it sure is fun. I'm still recovering today. Ordering pizza tonight! 😂

‘Red Duke of York’ coming through on the patch - that purple-green on the first leaves. One of several varieties of potatoes we’re growing this year, but the first to make a grand entrance. #EdibleGarden ˚˖𓍢ִִ໋🌼🌞🥔˚˖𓍢ִ🌿˚.

Just been approached by Huel to see if I'll be part of their paid influencer campaign. I don't think they're quite across what I do for a living. (FWIW, and in the interests of having influence, I regard Huel as a soul destroying, miserable product and the death of all that is worth living for.)

Beef stifado, from an advanced cookery workshop I took in Greece last year. Six hours on a low heat and the onions break down into the sauce while the beef turns soft enough to cut with a spoon. #ComfortFood 👩‍🍳🍽️

Preach! "Genetic diversity for environmental resilience.” Old varietals from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan taken to Appalachian Ohio. civileats.com/2026/03/24/i...

First strawberry flowers of the season. Vibrant is the variety, one of many we’re growing. I’m already thinking cheesecake and ice cream. #kitchengarden ₊˚⊹♡🍰🍓♡⊹˚₊

Late light on the allotment before I left. Everything ready for planting, greens just returning, rhubarb waking, blueberries already in bud. The Kent coast mildness meant I put the first early potatoes in last week. #kitchengarden 👩‍🌾🌱🌿 🍃

Late light on the allotment before I left. Everything ready for planting, greens just returning, rhubarb waking, blueberries already in bud. The Kent coast mildness meant I put the first early potatoes in last week. #kitchengarden 👩‍🌾🌱🌿 🍃

Given these three-cornered leeks by our friend Diana from her allotment, just in time for the spring equinox. Softer than wild garlic, with a clean, green bite. I’ll make a pesto later; the sort that tastes of damp soil warming and longer days ahead. #SpringEquinox 🌼🌗🍃🐝⟡˚ ݁⋆˖₊.𓂃

Luna in the daffodils, mildly inconvenienced when I tried to get her to look up. Totally not interested. #CatsofBluesky 🐈

Happy St Patrick's Day 🌳🌳🌳☘️☘️☘️! #stpatricksday

Bench-rested sourdough on a marble pastry board, scraper beside it, knives in the background. Feels a bit rustic. Ready for shaping into a boule, then into the fridge. #sourdough 🥐🍞🥖

Gate closed on the allotment for the day. Late afternoon birds still carrying on and the beds looking good after a few hours’ work. "Okay, let’s go." #AllotmentLife 👩‍🌾🌱🌿 🫧🍃

and this is the full book with recipes, cooking and the comics too. ko-fi.com/s/d14bf2e068

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟗 🌶️ Week nine. Taller and settled in its stage-two pot. Already looking like it wants to leave home. I keep telling it it’s too young – a few more weeks before it moves to the allotment greenhouse. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

Glen Ample raspberries from the garden, flash-frozen last summer, went into a coulis for tiramisu last night. Folded through the mascarpone with the coffee-soaked sponge. 🍓🧺 #kitchengarden

¡Feliz Día Mundial de la Tortilla de Patatas! 🥚🍳🥔 ¿Cuál es tu favorita? ¿Con o sin cebolla? ¿Muy o poca cuajada?

Leek seedlings stretching for the light. Sown 20 February into homemade seed compost and up quickly: Giant d’Inverno, Musselburgh and Bleu de Solaise. A bit leggy but healthy - they’ll toughen up when they reach the bed in May. 🌱 #kitchengarden

The band’s back together. Three cats hanging around outside the allotment today.

Fog along the river on the walk to the allotment this morning. For a moment it looked like a Hammer Horror film set. Then a jackdaw started shouting. Suddenly it was Poe.

Today’s sourdough revealed a heart in the crumb. I will take that as approval from the starter. 🫵🏻ــــــــــــــــﮩ٨ـ❤️️ #alveoli

I've had several questions about the preserved oranges in my cocktail earlier. This is the most obvious instance of what you'd do with the resulting preserved fruit. You can treat any citrus like the famous Moroccan preserved lemons, and yes, they add so much to North African stews.

I have been unspeakably busy for the past couple of weeks, and so my partner Vivian kindly stepped in with a guest post on a subject very close to her heart: the Yukon Gold potato

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟖 🌶️ Week eight. Ten leaves now, some still small. Repotted into its stage-two pot with an updated soil mix of biochar and homemade seed compost. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

End of Seville season. Last batch set last week. Doorly’s rum in some, Glenfiddich Scotch in others. Bitterness first, sweetness after. As it should be. 🍊🥃

I co- wrote this Observer Food guide to some of the world's most interesting noodle dishes with Holly O'Neill observer.co.uk/style/food/a...

The simple act of sitting side by side, folding dumplings, is customary at Lunar New Year. A simple tradition, yet a powerful symbol of togetherness 🥟 These hand-folded lamb dumplings, from the founder of BAO, are perfect for the celebrations 🎆

As is only right and proper, Welsh Cakes are #RecipeOfTheDay, with thanks to Heulwen Williams who let me play with her granny’s recipe. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 www.nigella.com/recipes/wels...

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟕 🌶️ Week seven. Now 8.5 cm tall with a wingspan of 12 cm. Still compact, but clearly strengthening and filling out. The next move will be its stage-two pot. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱

A little Throwback Thursday to a couple years. In London with friends from Denver and New Orleans. @akaspectacular.bsky.social @flatcastro.bsky.social @vincez.bsky.social #throwback

Sourdough discard put to good use in these cookies with dark chocolate chips, pistachios and cashew slivers, finished with a pinch of Maldon salt. I suspect it will take some resolve to part with the batch before I keep them all. #cookies 🧸 🍪 🤎

Not Perseus with Medusa’s head. Just me, slightly muddy, holding up the tansy root I’ve dug out at the allotment. Dressed in my Sunday best and ready for battle, I was determined to lift this invasive brute from the bed once and for all. #AllotmentLife 👩‍🌾🪏

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟔 🌶️ Week five. Not much increase in height, but noticeably stronger. The stem has thickened and the leaves are filling out. Slow upwards, steady outwards. #SeedToHarvest 👩‍🌾🌱