Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews & great stuff to do
YOU’RE GONNA DIG THIS BOOK
“There are two things I want from my garden,” says Sarah Raven. “It has to be beautiful, and it has to produce lots of fresh, home-grown food.” So says the expert famous for reintroducing colour to the nation’s green spaces after years of a style obsession for all-white (see p126 for an opportunity to meet her).
Sarah’s new book, A Year Full of Veg (out 2 March), is a guide to making sure your outdoor patch produces good things to eat, all year long. Growing advice is divided into categories such as ‘big producers’, ‘flavour first’ and ‘unbuyables’ (clever), with month-by-month plans for when to sow and harvest, and how to get the best out of your crops. There are geeky tips in abundance and even calendars of edible flowers and herbs to grow for tea. Ever toyed with the idea of growing your own? This is the book to ignite a passion. Bloomsbury £27
THE GREAT EGG RACE Planning ahead for Easter fun? There are over 190 National Trust Easter egg trails this year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – all with a chocolate egg at the end. nationaltrust. org.uk/easter
MORE GROW-YOUR-OWN INSPIRATION
The Small Holding is a world-class plot-to-plate restaurant, where chef Will Devlin (above) and team serve a set menu using ingredients grown mostly a few paces from the front door. Now the Michelin-starred restaurant in Kilndown, Kent, has launched Grow the Seasons courses, run by head gardener Jenny Huddart, offering hands-on experience in a garden where quality produce is everything. Useful knowledge and a glimpse behind the restaurant scenes too? We can’t wait to try… Full-day courses, £125, growtheseasons.com; smallholdingrestaurant.com
Spirit yourself away to Speyside
If you love whisky, there’s only one place to be in April: Speyside. The famed scotch region has the greatest concentration of distilleries (50 plus) and from 26 April to 1 May will host over 500 events.
There’ll be tours and tastings (with cheese, seafood, a cooked breakfast…take your pick), plus activities: shadow a whisky trucker, drink a dram on a vintage train ride – or take your tipple at a café speakeasy (secret password required!). Up for adventure? Explore historic whisky smuggling sites via four-wheel-drive, then listen to tales of illicit distilling told in a candlelit bothy. Advance booking essential; spiritofspeyside.com →
PUB OF THE MONTH
THE MUTTON AT HAZELEY HEATH, HAMPSHIRE
themuttonathazeleyheath.co.uk
PUBBY CREDS
A classic country
