It may look grim outside but the glut of new potatoes, broad beans and strawberries from the garden is still telling me that it’s summer. So my daily harvest may be very muddy but it’s cheering me up on this very rainy week. I’m enjoying it in the following ways:

Broad Beans:

When I pod the first tiny beans that are so tender they’re delicious raw, it reminds me why it’s worth bothering to grow your own – you never see them this small or fresh to buy do you? I love the first little beans just podded, mixed with olive oil, torn basil and shavings of parmesan (I use a potato peeler) and seasoned. They’re great as a salad or on bruschetta. But my favourite broad bean bruschetta is to cook a handful of podded beans for a couple of minutes, then squash them with a fork, mix with olive oil, a little garlic, salt, pepper, chopped mint and basil. Piled onto garlicky toasted bread, with a little olive oil drizzled on top, they’re yummy. Continue reading →