FLOWER POT KITCHEN: LOVING OUR MINI MINI URBAN SMALL HOLDING AND A STEP TOWARDS SELF SUFFICENCY, ORGANIC FOOD WITH ZERO FOOD MILES

19 Feb 2013

LOVING OUR MINI MINI URBAN SMALL HOLDING AND A STEP TOWARDS SELF SUFFICENCY, ORGANIC FOOD WITH ZERO FOOD MILES

MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN ALL THE SEEDS ARE IN PROPAGATORS AND BULBS ARE JUST SHOWING THEIR GREEN STEMS AND THE GARDEN IS ONLY WEEKS AWAY FROM BURSTING INTO COLOUR, THE BIRDS ARE SINGING EVERYMORNING, THE SUN IS SHININING AND A HINT OF PROMISE IS IN THE AIR

LAST YEAR, YEAR THREE, HAS BEEN THE BEST FOR LIVE STOCK AND THE WORST FOR VEGETABLE CROPS BUT A GREAT LEARNING CURB WHICH GIVES US MORE PASSION TO TRY HARDER THIS YEAR AND GROW IT ALL...

THIS IS THE END OF OUR FIRST JOURNEY WITH OUR VERY FIRST PIGS, IN A FEW DAYS THEY LEAVE US TO FINISH THEIR JOURNEY AND BECOME ........... TODAY WE HAVE BEEN TO THE ABATTOIR AND MEET WITH THE TEAM, AND WHAT A FABULOUS LOVELY CALM FARM, WITH THEIR OWN FARM SHOP ON SITE TOO. THE TEAM WERE SO SUPPORTIVE AND VERY INFORMATIVE AND IN SUCH A RELAXED MANOR THAT WE NOW FEEL VERY OK WITH THIS PART OF THE JOURNEY, IT IS KIND OF WEIRD, CANT REALLY EXPLAIN, I THINK I HAVE WE HAVE FELT ALL THE EMOTION OF THE JOURNEY EARLY ON AND NOW WE ARE AT THE END IT IS CLOSURE.

OUR PIGS TIME WITH US IN PHOTOS

LEMONGRASS HAVING A SHOWER IN THE EARLY PROMISE OF SPRING SUNSHINE

SPRING IS VERY MUCH ON THE WAY AS LEMON IS VERY PLAY FULL TODAY

LOTTIE AND LEMON HAVING A HELLO NOSE TO NOSE

HOW GORGEOUS AM I

DON'T FORGET ME I AM GORGEOUS TOO

HAPPY PIGGIES

HELLO THERE BEAUTIFUL HOW DO YOU DO?

GINGER NINJA HAVING A LAY DOWN AFTER A GOOD RUB DOWN

GINGER LOVES ROLLING AND LEAPING WHEN WE ADD FRESH STRAW TO THEIR BED, LEMON GOES IN AND TOSSES HALF OF THE STRAW OUT FOR THEM TO PLAY IN

LAZY MID MORNING REST AFTER DOING THE HOUSE WORK

LEMON TELLING GINGER OFF AS HE WANTS TO HELP WITH THE HOUSEWORK AND SHE DOES'NT LIKE HIS HELP SO SHE KEEPS THROWING HIM OUT AND HE KEEPS RUNNING BACK IN, SUCH FUN TO WATCH THEM

OUR GLORIOUS PIG ARK AND RUN ON DAY ONE AND WITHIN 4 WEEKS IT WAS A PROPER PIG RUN ALL TURNED OVER AND MUDD

LOVE OUR GLORIOUS GIRLS THIS IS THEIR NEW EXTENSION RUN OF 50FT CONTAINED SO THAT I CAN TRY AND KEEP THEM OFF MY VEGETABLE BEDS

NAUGHTY CHICKENS RAIDING MY STRAWBERRY POT!!!

SUCH FUN CAT FLAP TRAINING FOR OUR GIRLS, WE EXTENDED THEIR OUTDOOR SAFE RUN WITH A OUT DOOR RUN AWAY FROM OUR VEGETABLE BEDS AND PUT A OLD CAT FLAP IN THE FENCING FOR THEM, IT ONLY TOOK A FEW HOURS AND HEY PRESTO! THEY GOT IT, CLEVER GIRLS...

GLORIOUS EGGS FROM OUR GLORIOUS GIRLS

REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEARS IMPROVEMENT AND LESSONS TO BE LEARNT WITH GROWING OUR MAIN STAY CROPS AND RAISING MORE PIGS.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.