Appetisers

Though January 1 marks the start of our calendar year, spring feels like the time when things really get going, as forests awaken, flowers bloom, migrating birds (swallows, swifts, warblers…) return f

A springtime picnic can simply consist of a green salad, an asparagus quiche, and a sweet lemon drizzle cake to finish. Be sure to pack cutlery, a picnic rug and plenty of cushions to make relaxing am

Carpeting woodland in clouds of white star-shape flowers and filling the air with a heady, intense aroma, wild garlic is abundant in April. This bulb hibernates for most of the year before bursting fo

I like unusual words and there are a couple that seem appropriate for this time of year. March, we know, is a fickle beast, where the weather can flicker from T-shirt to thermals in the course of a da

Introducing our new columnist Dan: restaurateur and keen allotmenteer. This month, he’s sowing beetroot and carrots, and cooking with wild garlic and rhubarb

There are some vegetables that thrive in the cold, but unless you aspire to self-sufficiency Tom Coward recommends caution when sowing very early in the year. “It’s a mistake, although we always do it