Tag: Healthy Eating

Chutney: A Taste of History in a Jar

Autumn brings with it a rich tapestry of colours and flavours. As the leaves turn golden and the air grows crisp, our kitchens fill with the comforting aromas of seasonal cooking. This is the perfect time of year for preserving the harvest’s bounty, and there is no better way to do so than by making a batch of delicious, homemade chutney.

Chutney is more than just a condiment; it’s a jar full of history, flavour and resourcefulness. It represents a tradition of turning surplus fruits and vegetables into something that can be enjoyed for months to come. A chutney is the simple joy of transforming humble ingredients into a truly special store-cupboard staple. Let’s start stirring up some history and flavour.

What is Chutney?

At its heart, chutney is a savoury condiment made from a combination of fruits, vegetables, vinegar, sugar and spices. The ingredients are slowly simmered together until they break down and thicken, creating a rich, flavourful preserve. The magic of chutney lies in its perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy notes, which makes it an incredibly versatile partner for a wide variety of dishes.

Unlike a jam, which is typically sweet and made primarily from fruit, chutney leans towards the savoury side. The inclusion of vinegar gives it a tangy kick, while onions, garlic and an array of spices add depth and complexity. It can range in texture from a smooth purée to a chunky mixture, and its flavour profile can be anything from mild and fruity to fiery and intense.

Think of it as the ultimate accompaniment. A dollop of apple chutney can elevate a simple cheese sandwich, a spoonful of spicy tomato chutney can bring a curry to life, and a tangy plum chutney is the perfect companion for a Ploughman’s lunch. It is a testament to the art of preserving, turning everyday ingredients into something truly extraordinary.

A Brief History of Chutney

The story of chutney begins not in the British countryside, but in India, where it has been a staple for centuries. The word “chutney” comes from the Hindi word chatnī, which means “to lick.” In India, chutneys were traditionally fresh preparations, made by grinding herbs, spices and other ingredients into a paste using a stone mortar and pestle. These fresh chutneys, like mint or coriander chutney, were made to be eaten the same day, adding a burst of flavour to meals.

The journey of chutney from India to Britain is intertwined with the history of the British Empire. During the 17th and 18th centuries, British officials and traders returning from India brought back a taste for these exotic flavours. They also brought back recipes, which soon had to be adapted. The fresh, tropical ingredients available in India were not readily found in Britain, and the long sea voyages required a method of preservation.

This necessity led to the invention of the chutney we know today. British cooks began to experiment, using local fruits and vegetables like apples, plums and marrows. They added vinegar and sugar, which acted as preservatives, allowing the chutney to be stored in jars for long periods. This new, preserved style of chutney became incredibly popular during the Victorian era. Major Grey’s Chutney, a famous mango chutney, is said to have been created by a British army officer in the 19th century and remains a classic example of this Anglo-Indian culinary fusion.

Over time, chutney became a cornerstone of British preserving culture. It was a practical and delicious way to use up gluts of produce from the garden or allotment, ensuring nothing went to waste. Today, it stands as a delicious symbol of our culinary history—a flavour born in India and lovingly adopted and adapted in British kitchens.

The Art of Preserving

Making chutney is a wonderful way to connect with the seasons and practice the age-old tradition of preserving food. At its core, preserving is about extending the life of fresh produce, allowing us to enjoy the flavours of the harvest long after the season has passed. Chutney accomplishes this through a simple yet effective scientific process.

The two key ingredients responsible for preserving chutney are vinegar and sugar.

  • Vinegar: The high acidity of vinegar creates an environment where most bacteria, yeasts and moulds cannot survive. This process, known as pickling, is one of the oldest methods of food preservation.
  • Sugar: Sugar acts as a preservative by drawing water out of the food’s cells through a process called osmosis. This reduces the amount of available water, which microorganisms need to grow.

When combined and heated, the sugar and vinegar work together to create a safe, long-lasting preserve. The slow simmering process not only develops the chutney’s flavour but also ensures that all the ingredients are heated sufficiently to destroy any harmful microorganisms. Finally, sealing the hot chutney in sterilised jars creates a vacuum seal, which prevents new contaminants from entering and spoiling the contents.

This clever combination of science and cookery means that a well-made chutney can be stored in a cool, dark place for a year or even longer, with its flavour often improving and mellowing over time. It’s a sustainable and satisfying way to reduce food waste and enjoy homemade goodness all year round.

Autumnal Chutney Recipes

Autumn is arguably the best season for chutney-making. The harvest provides a wonderful abundance of apples, pears, plums and late-season vegetables, all begging to be turned into something delicious. Here are a few recipes to get you started.

Before you begin, remember the basic principle of chutney making: chop your ingredients, place them in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and simmer gently until thick and glossy. The exact cooking time will vary, but patience is key. A good test for readiness is to drag a wooden spoon across the bottom of the pan—if the channel it creates remains for a few seconds before filling up, the chutney is likely ready.

1. Classic Apple and Date Chutney

This is a timeless recipe that pairs beautifully with cheese and cold meats. It’s sweet, tangy and wonderfully warming.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg cooking apples (like Bramley), peeled, cored and chopped
  • 500g onions, chopped
  • 250g dates, chopped
  • 500g demerara sugar
  • 500ml cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Place all the ingredients into a large, heavy-bottomed pan.
  2. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  3. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring from time to time to prevent it from catching on the bottom of the pan.
  4. The chutney is ready when it has thickened and has a rich, pulpy consistency.
  5. Carefully spoon the hot chutney into warm, sterilised jars, seal immediately, and label.

Nutritional Value (per tbsp): Approx. 35 kcal, 9g carbohydrates (8.5g sugars).
Storage: Store in a cool, dark place. It will be ready to eat in about 4 weeks, but the flavour improves if left for a couple of months. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use it within 6-8 weeks.

2. Spiced Plum and Walnut Chutney

This chutney has a deep, rich flavour and a lovely texture from the walnuts. It’s a perfect addition to a festive cheeseboard.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg plums, halved and stoned
  • 400g onions, chopped
  • 200g raisins
  • 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 400g soft brown sugar
  • 500ml red wine vinegar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Put the plums, onions, raisins, sugar, and vinegar into a large pan.
  2. Add the cinnamon stick, ground cloves, and salt, and stir well.
  3. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer.
  4. Cook for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the plums have broken down and the mixture is thick.
  5. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the chopped walnuts.
  6. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  7. Spoon the hot chutney into warm, sterilised jars, seal and label.

Nutritional Value (per tbsp): Approx. 45 kcal, 1g fat, 9g carbohydrates (8g sugars).
Storage: Store in a cool, dark place for at least a month before eating. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within a month.

3. Green Tomato and Chilli Chutney

A great way to use up unripe tomatoes at the end of the season. This chutney has a lovely tang with a gentle kick of heat.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg green tomatoes, chopped
  • 500g cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
  • 500g onions, chopped
  • 2-3 red chillies, finely chopped (adjust to your taste)
  • 250g sultanas
  • 500g light muscovado sugar
  • 600ml malt vinegar
  • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pan.
  2. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 hours, or until thick and reduced. Stir regularly to prevent sticking.
  4. Ladle the hot chutney into warm, sterilised jars. Seal tightly and label with the date.

Nutritional Value (per tbsp): Approx. 30 kcal, 7g carbohydrates (7g sugars).
Storage: Allow to mature for at least 4-6 weeks in a cool, dark place. After opening, store in the fridge and use within 2 months.

A Taste for Everyone, For Ever

Making chutney is more than just a cooking project; it’s an opportunity to connect with the past, embrace the seasons, and create something truly special with your own hands. The gentle simmering of fruits and spices fills the home with an aroma that is uniquely comforting, a promise of delicious things to come.

Whether you are an experienced preserver or a curious beginner, we encourage you to try making a batch of chutney this autumn. It is a rewarding and simple pleasure that yields delicious results. Share it with friends and family, or simply savour the satisfaction of a well-stocked pantry.

Plan your chutney-making day, gather your seasonal produce, and get ready to create a taste of history in a jar. You’ll be helping to keep a wonderful tradition alive, for everyone, for ever.

Further Reading: Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family, Transform Leftover Veggies into Delicious House Pickles, Save Time and Money with Batch Cooking

From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family

There’s something magical about stepping into your garden on a crisp autumn morning and gathering vegetables you’ve nurtured from seed. The satisfaction of transforming these homegrown treasures into warming, nourishing meals for your family creates memories that last far beyond the season. Autumn vegetables bring robust flavours and incredible nutritional value to your kitchen table, perfect for creating the kind of hearty bakes that bring everyone together.

Your autumn vegetable garden offers a bounty of possibilities for family cooking. Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and beetroot develop their sweetest flavours after the first frost. Brassicas such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale reach their peak condition. Squashes and pumpkins store beautifully, providing months of cooking opportunities ahead.

These vegetables aren’t just delicious—they’re nutritional powerhouses. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they support your family’s health during the cooler months when fresh produce becomes more precious. Creating warming bakes with your homegrown harvest transforms simple ingredients into comforting meals that nourish both body and soul.

The Art of Autumn Vegetable Baking

Baking autumn vegetables intensifies their natural sweetness whilst creating tender textures that even the fussiest eaters will enjoy. The gentle heat of the oven caramelises natural sugars, developing complex flavours that make vegetables irresistible. Root vegetables become creamy and golden, whilst brassicas develop nutty undertones that complement their earthy characteristics.

Understanding how different vegetables behave in the oven helps you create perfectly balanced bakes. Dense vegetables like potatoes and swede need longer cooking times and higher temperatures to become tender. Delicate vegetables such as courgettes and tomatoes require gentler treatment to prevent them becoming watery or overcooked.

The key to successful vegetable baking lies in preparation and timing. Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Parboiling harder vegetables before baking saves time and guarantees tenderness. Adding vegetables in stages during cooking prevents some from becoming mushy whilst others remain undercooked.

Root Vegetable Gratin with Garden Herbs

This luxurious gratin transforms humble root vegetables into an elegant family dish that celebrates the best of your autumn harvest. The creamy texture and golden top make it perfect for Sunday lunches or special occasions.

Ingredients:

  • 500g potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 300g parsnips, thinly sliced
  • 200g carrots, thinly sliced
  • 300ml double cream
  • 100ml whole milk
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Fresh thyme and rosemary from your garden
  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • Salt and white pepper

Layer the sliced vegetables in a buttered baking dish, seasoning each layer. Combine cream, milk, garlic, and herbs in a saucepan and warm gently. Pour over vegetables and top with cheese. Bake at 180°C for 45-50 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This gratin provides excellent nutritional value for growing families. Potatoes offer vitamin C and potassium, whilst parsnips contribute folate and fibre. Carrots deliver beta-carotene for healthy vision, and the dairy ingredients provide calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Butternut Squash and Sage Bake

The sweet, nutty flavour of butternut squash pairs beautifully with earthy sage in this simple yet sophisticated bake. Perfect for using up those magnificent squashes that have been storing in your pantry since harvest.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 100g feta cheese, crumbled
  • 50g pine nuts
  • Salt and black pepper

Toss cubed squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes. Add onion slices and sage leaves, roasting for another 15 minutes. Scatter with feta and pine nuts for the final 5 minutes of cooking.

Butternut squash is exceptionally rich in vitamin A, supporting immune function and healthy skin. The combination of healthy fats from olive oil and pine nuts helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins more effectively.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Bake

Transform Brussels sprouts from a dreaded vegetable into a family favourite with this indulgent bake that combines smoky bacon with creamy cheese sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 750g Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 150g smoked bacon, chopped
  • 300ml cheese sauce
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 25g butter, melted
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Blanch Brussels sprouts for 3 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Mix with bacon and arrange in a baking dish. Pour over cheese sauce and top with buttered breadcrumbs. Bake at 190°C for 25 minutes until golden.

Brussels sprouts are nutritional superstars, containing more vitamin C than oranges and providing excellent levels of vitamin K for bone health. The addition of bacon makes this dish appealing to reluctant vegetable eaters whilst still delivering impressive nutritional benefits.

Mixed Vegetable and Lentil Bake

This hearty protein-rich bake combines your garden vegetables with nutritious lentils to create a complete meal that satisfies even the hungriest family members.

Ingredients:

  • 200g red lentils, rinsed
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 large courgette, sliced
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 aubergine, cubed
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons tomato purée
  • Mixed herbs from your garden
  • 100g mozzarella, torn

Layer vegetables in a deep baking dish. Mix lentils with stock and tomato purée, then pour over vegetables. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes. Remove foil, add mozzarella, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

This bake provides complete protein from the lentil and cheese combination, making it perfect for vegetarian family members. The variety of vegetables ensures a wide range of vitamins and minerals in every serving.

Cauliflower Cheese with a Twist

Elevate traditional cauliflower cheese by adding autumn vegetables and a crunchy topping that transforms this classic into something special.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
  • 200g leeks, sliced
  • 100g mushrooms, quartered
  • 400ml cheese sauce
  • 75g mature cheddar, grated
  • 50g oats
  • 25g pumpkin seeds
  • Fresh chives, chopped

Steam cauliflower until just tender, adding leeks and mushrooms for the final 5 minutes. Arrange in a baking dish and pour over cheese sauce. Mix remaining ingredients for the topping and scatter over. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

The addition of oats and pumpkin seeds provides extra fibre and healthy fats, whilst the mushrooms contribute umami flavours and B vitamins essential for energy metabolism.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Bring international flavours to your autumn vegetables with this Mexican-inspired bake that combines sweet potatoes with protein-rich black beans.

Ingredients:

  • 600g sweet potatoes, cubed
  • 400g tin black beans, drained
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 300ml enchilada sauce
  • 150g cheese, grated
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • Fresh coriander and lime

Roast sweet potato cubes until tender. Mix with black beans and peppers. Fill tortillas with mixture and arrange in a baking dish. Pour over sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 190°C for 25 minutes.

Sweet potatoes are exceptional sources of beta-carotene and fibre, whilst black beans provide protein and iron. This combination creates a nutritionally complete meal that appeals to all ages.

Tips for Perfect Vegetable Bakes

Success with vegetable bakes comes from understanding your ingredients and using proper techniques. Always preheat your oven to ensure even cooking from the start. Don’t overcrowd baking dishes, as this creates steam rather than the dry heat needed for caramelisation.

Season vegetables generously before cooking, as this helps draw out moisture and concentrates flavours. Use a variety of textures in your bakes by combining soft vegetables like courgettes with firmer ones like potatoes. This creates more interesting eating experiences for your family.

Fresh herbs from your garden make enormous differences to finished dishes. Add hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme at the beginning of cooking, but save delicate herbs such as basil and parsley for the final few minutes to preserve their fresh flavours.

Making the Most of Your Harvest

Plan your vegetable bakes around what’s ready in your garden rather than forcing specific recipes. This approach ensures you’re using vegetables at their peak flavour and nutritional value. Keep notes about which combinations work well together, creating your own family recipe collection over time.

Prepare vegetables in advance by washing, peeling, and chopping them when you have time. Store prepared vegetables in the refrigerator for up to two days, making weeknight cooking much simpler. Many bakes can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Consider doubling recipes and freezing portions for busy weeks ahead. Most vegetable bakes freeze beautifully, providing homemade convenience foods that are far superior to shop-bought alternatives.

Bringing Families Together Through Food

Cooking with homegrown vegetables creates opportunities for family involvement that builds lifelong memories. Children who help prepare meals are more likely to try new vegetables and develop healthy eating habits. Involve them in every step from garden to table, teaching valuable life skills along the way.

Share stories about how vegetables grow whilst you cook together. Explain seasonal eating and why autumn vegetables taste different from summer ones. These conversations create deeper connections to food and nature that influence eating habits throughout life.

Create family traditions around your vegetable bakes. Perhaps Sunday afternoon becomes baking time, with everyone contributing to meal preparation. These shared experiences strengthen family bonds whilst ensuring everyone enjoys nutritious, homemade meals.

Nurturing Health Through Homegrown Goodness

Transform your autumn garden harvest into nourishing family meals that warm hearts and homes throughout the season. Each bake you create celebrates the vegetables you’ve grown with care, providing wholesome nutrition that supports your family’s health and wellbeing.

Start planning your next vegetable bake by surveying your garden and storing areas. Choose vegetables that need using soon and experiment with new flavour combinations. Remember that the best family meals come from love, fresh ingredients, and the joy of sharing homegrown goodness around your table.

Visit your local garden centre for inspiration on extending your growing season, ensuring fresh vegetables for your family bakes well into winter. Pack your enthusiasm for homegrown cooking and discover how rewarding it feels to nourish your family with vegetables grown by your own hands.

Further Reading: Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, Autumn Foraging: Your Complete Guide to Nature’s Harvest, English Pudding Season

Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul

As the days grow shorter and a crisp chill fills the air, there’s nothing quite like a bowl of warm, comforting soup. Autumn offers a wonderful harvest of flavourful vegetables, perfect for creating hearty and nourishing meals. Making soup from seasonal produce is not only a delicious way to celebrate the flavours of the season, but it’s also a fantastic way to create healthy, filling, and deeply satisfying dishes.

This guide will walk you through the best vegetables autumn has to offer for soup-making. We’ll explore why using seasonal ingredients is so beneficial and provide you with some wonderful recipe ideas to get you started. Get ready to fill your kitchen with the rich aromas of autumn and discover the simple joy of a homemade seasonal soup.

The Beauty of Autumn’s Bounty

Why choose seasonal vegetables for your soups? When you cook with produce that’s in season, you’re using ingredients at their peak. They are fresher, more flavourful, and packed with a higher concentration of nutrients. Seasonal vegetables are often more affordable and widely available at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

This autumn, look for these wonderful vegetables, each ready to bring its unique character to your soup pot:

  • Squashes (Butternut, Acorn, Kabocha): With their sweet, nutty flavours and vibrant orange flesh, winter squashes are the stars of autumn. They are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium and fibre.
  • Root Vegetables (Carrots, Parsnips, Swede): These earthy, sweet vegetables form the flavourful base of many classic soups. Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, while parsnips offer a unique sweet and slightly spicy note.
  • Pumpkins: Beyond Halloween decorations, pumpkins are a versatile and delicious ingredient for soups. Their mild, sweet flesh is packed with vitamin A and antioxidants.
  • Leeks: A member of the onion family, leeks have a milder, sweeter flavour than their pungent cousins. They add a delicate, savoury depth to soups and pair beautifully with potatoes.
  • Mushrooms: Autumn is the prime season for wild mushrooms. Their earthy, umami-rich flavour can transform a simple soup into a gourmet experience. They are also a good source of B vitamins and selenium.
  • Celeriac: This unsung hero of the vegetable world has a subtle, nutty flavour reminiscent of celery and parsley. It adds a wonderful creaminess to soups when puréed.

Embracing these ingredients allows you to connect with the rhythm of the seasons and create meals that are both comforting and incredibly fresh.

Warming Autumn Soup Recipes

Ready to start cooking? Here are three recipes that celebrate the best of autumn’s produce. Each one is designed to be simple, nutritious, and full of comforting flavour.

Classic Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

This soup is the essence of autumn in a bowl. It’s velvety, rich, and wonderfully aromatic, with the sweet flavour of butternut squash perfectly complemented by the earthy notes of fresh sage.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large butternut squash (about 1.2kg), peeled, deseeded, and chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
  • A small bunch of fresh sage leaves (about 10-12 leaves)
  • 150ml double cream or coconut milk (for a vegan option)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds and a swirl of cream, to serve

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Toss the chopped butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and lightly caramelised. This step deepens the squash’s natural sweetness.
  2. While the squash is roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
  3. Add the minced garlic and most of the sage leaves (reserving a few for garnish) to the pot. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
  4. Once the squash is roasted, add it to the pot with the other vegetables. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is completely smooth and velvety. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup in batches to a stand blender.
  6. Return the soup to the pot over low heat. Stir in the double cream or coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Gently heat through, but do not let it boil.
  7. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a swirl of cream, a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds, and the remaining fresh sage leaves.

Nutritional Insight: Butternut squash is a fantastic source of Vitamin A, crucial for vision and immune health. It also provides a significant amount of Vitamin C and dietary fibre, which aids digestion. Sage contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Hearty Lentil, Mushroom and Swede Soup

This soup is a wonderfully rustic and filling meal, perfect for a chilly evening. The earthy mushrooms, sweet swede, and protein-packed lentils create a robust and deeply savoury flavour profile. It’s a true one-pot wonder.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 250g mushrooms (chestnut or mixed wild), sliced
  • 1 medium swede (about 400g), peeled and diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 200g brown or green lentils, rinsed
  • 2 litres vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • A splash of soy sauce or tamari (optional, for extra umami)
  • A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  2. Increase the heat slightly and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and started to brown. This process develops their rich, earthy flavour.
  3. Add the diced swede and carrots to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to combine everything.
  4. Stir in the rinsed lentils, vegetable stock, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil.
  5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 45-50 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
  6. Remove the bay leaves. If you like, you can blend a small portion of the soup (about a quarter) and stir it back in to create a thicker, creamier consistency.
  7. Stir in the splash of soy sauce (if using) and the chopped fresh parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve hot with a slice of crusty wholemeal bread for a complete and satisfying meal.

Nutritional Insight: Lentils are an excellent source of plant-based protein, dietary fibre, and iron, making this soup incredibly sustaining. Mushrooms provide B vitamins, while swede and carrots are rich in vitamins C and A.

Creamy Leek and Celeriac Soup with a Hint of Nutmeg

This elegant soup is creamy, comforting, and surprisingly light. The delicate sweetness of the leeks combines beautifully with the nutty, celery-like flavour of the celeriac. A touch of nutmeg adds a warm, aromatic finish.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large leeks (about 500g), white and light green parts only, washed and sliced
  • 1 medium celeriac (about 600g), peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock
  • 100ml single cream or oat cream
  • A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Chopped chives or parsley, for garnish

Method:

  1. Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sliced leeks. Cook gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until they are very soft but not browned. This slow cooking method is called ‘sweating’ and it brings out their natural sweetness.
  2. Add the chopped celeriac to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the celeriac is completely tender when pierced with a knife.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until it’s silky smooth. For an even finer texture, pass it through a sieve.
  5. Return the soup to the pan over a very low heat. Stir in the cream and the pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
  6. Season carefully with salt and white pepper. White pepper is ideal here as it won’t leave black flecks in the pale soup.
  7. Warm the soup gently, being careful not to let it boil after adding the cream.
  8. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped chives or fresh parsley before serving.

Nutritional Insight: Leeks are a great source of flavonoids and vitamins A, C, and K. Celeriac is low in calories but high in fibre, vitamin K, and phosphorus. It supports bone health and digestion.

Plan Your Autumn Cooking

Making a simple pot of soup is one of the most rewarding ways to enjoy the autumn season. It’s a chance to slow down, connect with the food you eat, and create something truly nourishing for yourself and your loved ones. With a few fresh ingredients and a little time, you can create a bowl of comfort that will warm you from the inside out.

Further Reading: What to Do in Your Vegetable Garden in September, The Incredible Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

Eat Purple: What to Grow, Pick and Eat from the Purple End of the Rainbow

Purple carrots pulled from the soil. Shiny aubergines hanging from the plant. Blackberries staining your fingers. Great ruffled red cabbages, purple sprouting broccoli and bowls of dark, sweet plums.

Purple fruit and vegetables are certainly good at getting noticed.

And they aren’t purple simply for our benefit.

Many get their extraordinary colour from naturally occurring plant pigments called anthocyanins. These belong to a larger family of plant compounds called flavonoids and can produce colours ranging from red and purple through to deep blue.

Purple foods also provide different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds.

But there’s no need to turn them into miracle foods.

Rather than eating blueberries because they’re going to “boost your brain” or beetroot because it’s going to “detox your liver”, there’s a much simpler reason to put more colour on our plates.

Different plants give us different nutrients. Variety is a good thing.

And from a gardener’s point of view, purple crops are enormous fun to grow.

So let’s look at what we can sow, what we can grow and — the important bit — what we can feast on afterwards.

Eat Purple. Aubergine, red cabbage, red grapes, beetroot, purple cauliflower, red onions, figs, purple carrots, blackberries, blueberries

Why Are Some Fruits and Vegetables Purple?

That deep purple, blue or almost black colour often comes from anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring pigments found in plants. They’re responsible for the colour of foods including blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, red cabbage and many purple varieties of vegetables.

They’re also antioxidants, which means they can interact with processes involving oxidation in the body.

There’s a growing body of research looking at anthocyanins and other plant compounds, but that doesn’t mean we need to assign every purple vegetable a particular illness to prevent or health problem to solve.

Food is much more complicated than that.

And so are we.

The useful message is wonderfully simple:

Eat lots of different plants.

If some of them happen to be purple, all the better.

Aubergines

Few vegetables look quite as glamorous in the garden as an aubergine.

Those glossy purple fruits hanging beneath large leaves look almost too perfect to be real.

Almost.

Aubergines provide fibre and small amounts of various vitamins and minerals. Their purple skin contains anthocyanins, including a pigment called nasunin.

But the main reason to grow aubergines is culinary.

A freshly picked aubergine can become an extraordinary number of good things.

Sow it

Aubergines need a long growing season, so sow them early indoors somewhere warm.

They’re not a crop to rush.

Grow it

A greenhouse or polytunnel gives you the best chance of a good harvest in much of Britain, although they can also grow outside in particularly warm, sunny and sheltered positions.

They’re also very happy in large pots.

Give them warmth, sunshine, regular watering and feeding once the fruits begin developing.

Feast

Roast them, grill them, add them to curries or make ratatouille, parmigiana or baba ganoush.

Aubergines absorb flavours beautifully, particularly olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, herbs and spices.

Suddenly growing three plants doesn’t seem excessive at all.

Purple Carrots

Carrots haven’t always been orange.

Purple carrots have a very long history, and growing them is an easy way to make an everyday vegetable feel rather more exciting.

Depending on the variety, they may be purple all the way through or have a purple exterior surrounding an orange, yellow or white centre.

Purple carrots provide fibre and various carotenoids, while purple varieties can also contain anthocyanins.

Sow it

Sow carrots directly where they’re going to grow.

They dislike having their roots disturbed, so transplanting isn’t generally worth the trouble.

If you have heavy or stony soil, try growing them in a deep container instead.

Grow it

Keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate.

Carrot root fly can be troublesome, so consider resistant varieties, fine mesh or other physical barriers if it’s a problem where you garden.

Then comes the good bit.

Pull one up.

You never quite know what shape is going to emerge.

Feast

Roast purple carrots, grate them into salads, add them to soups or simply steam them.

One warning: some purple varieties are enthusiastic about sharing their colour with everything else in the pan.

Consider yourself warned.

Beetroot

Is beetroot red?

Is it purple?

Burgundy?

I’m not sure it matters.

It certainly belongs at this end of the rainbow.

Beetroot provides folate, manganese and potassium and naturally contains dietary nitrates. Its intense colour comes from pigments called betalains, rather than anthocyanins.

That’s a useful reminder that foods of similar colours aren’t necessarily nutritionally identical.

Sow it

Beetroot is wonderfully straightforward to grow from seed.

Sow directly outside from spring onwards and make smaller sowings every few weeks if you’d like a succession of roots rather than thirty-seven beetroot becoming ready simultaneously.

Grow it

Keep plants watered during dry spells and harvest some while the roots are still young and tender.

Don’t forget the leaves.

Young beetroot leaves are edible and can be used in salads or cooked similarly to chard.

Feast

Roast beetroot, pickle it, grate young roots into salads or pair it with feta, goat’s cheese, walnuts or horseradish.

Just don’t prepare it immediately before going somewhere important wearing white.

Red Cabbage

It is called red cabbage.

It is quite clearly purple.

Gardening is full of these little mysteries.

Red cabbage contains fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K, among other nutrients, and its colour comes from anthocyanins.

It’s also an excellent vegetable for the cooler months.

Sow it

Depending on the variety, cabbage can be sown at different points during the year.

Choose a variety suited to when you want to harvest it rather than assuming all cabbages behave in the same way.

Grow it

Cabbages like fertile, firm soil.

Protect young plants from pigeons and keep an eye out for cabbage white butterflies, whose caterpillars can turn a beautiful cabbage into lace with remarkable efficiency.

Feast

Shred red cabbage into winter salads and slaws or cook it slowly with apple and spices.

Pickling is another excellent option if you’ve got more than you can use immediately.

A jar of jewel-coloured pickled cabbage is a rather good thing to have waiting in the fridge.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Purple sprouting broccoli is one of my favourite crops because it arrives when the vegetable garden can otherwise feel rather quiet.

After months of waiting, those purple shoots begin appearing in late winter and spring.

Suddenly the garden is feeding you again.

It provides fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and folate, along with a variety of naturally occurring plant compounds.

Sow it

Purple sprouting broccoli requires patience.

It’s usually sown months before you expect to harvest it, which means you’re giving valuable vegetable-garden space to something that appears to be doing very little for quite a long time.

Trust the process.

Grow it

Give plants fertile soil and enough room to develop.

Protect them from pigeons and caterpillars where necessary and support tall plants in exposed gardens.

Feast

Pick the shoots regularly and more should follow.

Steam them, roast them or sauté briefly with garlic and olive oil.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

One of the great pleasures of seasonal growing is waiting months for something and then eating it as simply as possible.

Blackberries

Blackberries are the fruit that prove you don’t always have to sow something to enjoy a harvest.

Come late summer, Britain’s hedgerows can be full of them.

Their dark colour comes from anthocyanins, and blackberries provide fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K among other nutrients.

You can also grow cultivated varieties at home, including thornless types that are considerably kinder to your arms.

Grow it

Blackberries and hybrid berries generally appreciate sunshine and some support.

Cultivated varieties can produce larger fruits than their wild relatives and can be trained neatly against wires or fences.

If you’re picking wild blackberries, make sure you’re somewhere you’re permitted to forage and that you can confidently identify what you’re collecting.

Feast

Eat them with yoghurt, make crumble, turn them into jam or freeze them.

To freeze berries individually, spread them on a tray first and transfer them to a container once frozen.

This prevents the entire harvest becoming one enormous blackberry iceberg.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants have one of those flavours that instantly tastes of summer.

They’re particularly rich in vitamin C and contain fibre and anthocyanins.

They’re also a very useful fruit to grow because an established bush can provide crops for years.

Grow it

Blackcurrants prefer reasonably fertile, moisture-retentive soil and will crop best with a decent amount of sun.

Once established, pruning out some of the older wood encourages fresh productive growth.

Feast

Fresh blackcurrants can be quite sharp, which is exactly what makes them so good for cooking.

Turn them into compote, jam, cordial, puddings or sauces.

They also freeze beautifully.

Blueberries

Despite having blue in the name, I’m claiming blueberries for the purple end of our edible rainbow.

Their blue-purple colour comes largely from anthocyanins.

Blueberries also provide fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese.

The important thing to know if you want to grow them is that blueberries are acid-loving plants.

Grow it

If your garden soil isn’t acidic, don’t try to persuade it otherwise.

Grow blueberries in containers filled with an ericaceous growing medium.

Rainwater is preferable for watering where possible, particularly in hard-water areas.

Growing more than one compatible variety can also improve pollination and extend the harvest.

Feast

Eat blueberries straight from the bush, scatter them over breakfast, bake them into muffins or freeze them.

Like strawberries, they have a mysterious habit of disappearing between garden and kitchen.

Purple Potatoes

Cutting open a purple potato for the first time is quite a surprise.

Some varieties have coloured skins but ordinary pale flesh. Others are spectacularly purple all the way through.

Purple-fleshed potatoes contain anthocyanins alongside the carbohydrate, fibre, potassium and vitamin C associated with potatoes more generally.

Grow it

Purple potatoes are grown in much the same way as other potatoes.

Plant seed potatoes in the ground, large containers or potato bags and earth up the plants as they grow.

Choose varieties according to whether you want first earlies, second earlies or maincrop potatoes.

Feast

Roast them, boil them or turn them into mash.

Some retain their colour better than others during cooking.

Purple mashed potato may take the family by surprise.

I consider that an advantage.

Purple Cauliflower

If you think cauliflower is boring, grow a purple one.

Purple cauliflower gets its colour from anthocyanins and provides fibre, vitamin C, folate and other nutrients.

It’s grown in much the same way as more familiar white varieties.

Grow it

Cauliflowers appreciate fertile soil and consistent growing conditions.

They can be slightly demanding, particularly if growth is interrupted by drought or other stresses.

But producing a perfect purple cauliflower from your own garden is enormously satisfying.

Feast

Roast it.

Cauliflower transformed by a hot oven, olive oil and seasoning is a completely different proposition from the over-boiled cauliflower some of us remember from childhood.

It also works beautifully in curries, salads and vegetable bakes.

Purple Asparagus

Purple asparagus is one for the patient gardener.

Like green asparagus, it is a perennial crop. Establish a bed successfully and it can produce spears for many years.

The purple colouring comes from anthocyanins, and the spears provide fibre, folate and other vitamins and minerals.

Grow it

Asparagus wants a permanent home in well-drained soil.

Prepare the ground carefully because this isn’t a crop you’ll want to move next year.

And don’t expect an immediate feast.

Young asparagus beds need time to establish before being harvested heavily.

Feast

When those first proper harvests finally arrive, keep things simple.

Steam, roast or griddle the spears and add butter, olive oil or a squeeze of lemon.

You’ve waited years for them.

They deserve centre stage.

Plums

A plum tree can be one of the great pleasures of a productive garden.

Depending on the variety, the fruit might be red, yellow, green or deep purple.

Purple-skinned plums provide fibre and contain a range of plant compounds, including anthocyanins in the coloured skin.

Grow it

Choose the variety and rootstock according to the space you have available.

Some plums are self-fertile, while others crop better with a suitable pollination partner nearby, so check before buying.

Then hope the tree doesn’t decide to produce its entire annual crop during the one week you’ve gone on holiday.

Feast

Eat ripe plums straight from the tree, bake them, poach them or turn them into jam and chutney.

A plum crumble is also an excellent answer to most autumn questions.

Figs

Figs aren’t always obviously purple, but many familiar varieties ripen to beautiful shades of deep purple or burgundy.

They provide fibre, potassium and other nutrients.

They’re also a fascinating fruit to grow in Britain.

Grow it

Figs often crop particularly well when their roots are restricted.

That’s why you’ll frequently see them grown against sunny walls with their roots contained or planted in large pots.

Give them the warmest, sunniest position you can.

Feast

A perfectly ripe fig needs very little interference.

Eat it fresh, add it to salads or serve with yoghurt or cheese.

If you’re lucky enough to have too many, make jam or chutney.

Red Onions

Yes, another supposedly red vegetable that’s actually purple.

Red onions contain various sulphur compounds and flavonoids, including the flavonoid quercetin, and provide some fibre and vitamin C.

More importantly for the kitchen, they’re wonderfully versatile.

Sow it

You can grow onions from seed or sets.

Sets are particularly straightforward if you’re new to growing onions.

Grow it

Give them a sunny position and reasonably well-drained soil.

Once the foliage begins to die back and the bulbs are mature, harvest and dry them properly if you want to store them.

Feast

Slice them raw into salads, roast them, pickle them or slowly cook them until soft and sweet.

Quick-pickled red onions are one of those ridiculously simple things that make almost everything else on the plate look more impressive.

Grow a Purple Patch

One of the pleasures of growing your own food is discovering that vegetables don’t have to look like the versions we’re accustomed to seeing in supermarkets.

Carrots can be purple.

Cauliflowers can be purple.

Potatoes can be purple.

Asparagus can be purple.

Even Brussels sprouts can be purple.

If you’re new to growing food, though, don’t attempt everything at once.

Try:

Purple carrots + beetroot + blackberries.

Have a little more room?

Add:

Red cabbage + purple potatoes + blackcurrants.

And if you’re prepared to play the long game:

Plant some purple asparagus.

That’s a wonderfully colourful little edible garden.

What to Do With a Purple Harvest

Eventually, every productive gardener encounters the same problem.

You wanted home-grown food.

You now have rather a lot of home-grown food.

This is when the feast part of Sow It Grow It and Feast earns its keep.

Freeze blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants.

Pickle red onions and cabbage.

Turn plums into jam or chutney.

Roast beetroot.

Store suitable potatoes.

Make blackberry crumble.

And give some away.

A bag of home-grown produce handed over the garden fence is one of life’s small pleasures.

Eat the Rainbow — But Grow It Too

There’s good sense behind the familiar advice to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.

Different plants give us different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds.

Purple foods are one interesting part of that bigger picture.

They don’t need to detox our liver.

They don’t need to give us younger-looking skin.

And we don’t need to eat a handful of berries expecting them to transform our memory, blood sugar or energy levels.

Food doesn’t have to behave like medicine to be worth growing and eating.

So plant the purple carrot.

Grow the blackberry.

Wait patiently for the plum tree.

And when something is finally ready, pick it and take it into the kitchen.

Because the really lovely thing about eating the rainbow is discovering that you can grow quite a lot of it yourself.

Sow it. Grow it. And then feast.

Keeping your blood sugar levels stable is vital for your overall health. The fibre and compounds in purple foods can help.

Further Reading: Why You Should Eat More Purple, Why Eating Green Is Good For You, Eat the Rainbow: The Power of Red, Why Orange Foods Deserve a Place on Your Plate, The Incredible Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

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Eat Green: What to Grow, Pick and Eat from the Green End of the Rainbow

“Eat your greens.”

It’s probably one of the first pieces of nutritional advice most of us heard.

Usually while staring suspiciously at a pile of cabbage.

But our parents and grandparents did have a point.

Spinach, peas, broccoli, beans, courgettes, kale, cabbage, lettuce, apples, herbs and all the other foods at the green end of the rainbow provide us with different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds.

And from a gardener’s point of view, there’s something else rather wonderful about green food.

An awful lot of it is very easy to grow.

You can grow salad leaves on a windowsill, herbs by the back door, peas in a pot and courgettes on a patio. Give over a little more space and you could be picking beans, broccoli, cabbages and apples too.

So rather than looking at individual green foods as remedies for tiredness, inflammation, bloating or anything else, let’s look at them for what they are.

Good food.

Food we can sow, grow, pick and turn into something delicious.

Eat Green. Celery, Courgette, Cucumber, Spinach, Cabbage, Broccoli, Apple, Grapes, beans, Pear, Rocket, Peas

Why Are Fruits and Vegetables Green?

Plants owe much of their green colour to chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll plays an essential role in photosynthesis — the process plants use to capture energy from light.

But green fruits and vegetables contain far more than chlorophyll.

Depending on what you’re eating, they can provide fibre, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, calcium, iron and a wide range of naturally occurring plant compounds.

Leafy vegetables can also contain carotenoids such as lutein and beta-carotene. We tend to associate carotenoids with yellow and orange foods, but in green leaves their colour is masked by all that chlorophyll.

The nutritional make-up of a cucumber is very different from that of broccoli or spinach, which is why the important word is variety.

Eat different plants.

And if you can, grow a few of them too.

Spinach

Spinach has acquired a rather heroic reputation over the years.

Popeye probably has something to answer for.

It does contain iron, although plant-based iron isn’t absorbed by the body as readily as iron from some animal sources. Spinach also provides folate, vitamin K and carotenoids, among other nutrients.

But forget bulging cartoon muscles.

Spinach is worth growing simply because it’s quick, useful and tastes particularly good when picked young.

Sow it

Spinach can be sown directly outside and is particularly happy in the cooler parts of the growing season.

Sow small amounts regularly rather than the entire packet at once.

That way you’re more likely to have a steady supply of tender leaves rather than enough spinach to feed the entire street for three days.

Grow it

Keep plants watered because hot, dry conditions can encourage spinach to bolt — producing flowers rather than continuing to make lots of lovely leaves.

Young leaves can be harvested for salads, while larger ones are excellent for cooking.

Feast

Wilt spinach into pasta, curries and soups, add young leaves to salads or simply cook it briefly with a little butter.

An enormous pan of spinach will collapse into approximately three forkfuls.

This is completely normal.

Peas

Fresh peas eaten straight from the pod are one of the great arguments for growing your own food.

They barely need to make it as far as the kitchen.

Peas provide fibre, protein, vitamin C, folate and other vitamins and minerals.

But their real selling point is flavour.

A freshly picked pea is sweet, crisp and completely different from one that’s been sitting around for days.

Sow it

Peas can be sown from spring, with exact timing depending on the variety and conditions.

You can also grow pea shoots indoors or outside if you want something particularly quick to harvest.

Grow it

Most peas appreciate something to climb.

Twiggy sticks, netting or supports all work well.

Keep them watered once flowering and pod production begin, particularly during dry spells.

Feast

Eat young peas raw, cook them briefly, stir them through risotto or pasta, or make pea and mint soup.

And don’t forget pea shoots and tendrils.

They’re delicious too.

Courgettes

Courgettes are a wonderful crop.

Right up until the point when you’ve eaten courgettes for breakfast, lunch and dinner and somebody cheerfully informs you there are another six ready to pick.

One or two healthy plants can be astonishingly productive.

Courgettes provide fibre, potassium and vitamin C, and their high water content makes them a useful and versatile summer vegetable.

Sow it

Sow courgettes indoors in spring or directly outside once conditions are sufficiently warm.

Grow it

Give them fertile soil, sunshine, regular watering and plenty of room.

Pick the fruits while they’re relatively small.

Leave one unnoticed beneath a leaf for several days and it may turn into something resembling a small submarine.

Feast

Grill them, roast them, grate them into fritters, spiralise them, add them to pasta or bake them into cakes.

When the inevitable glut arrives, make chutney.

Every courgette grower eventually reaches the chutney stage.

Green Beans

There is something enormously satisfying about walking outside and picking tonight’s dinner.

Green beans — whether climbing French beans, dwarf beans or runner beans picked young — are one of those crops that can give you harvest after harvest.

They provide fibre, folate and vitamin C, among other nutrients.

Sow it

Beans like warmth, so sowing generally begins in spring once conditions are suitable.

They can be started under cover for planting out later.

Grow it

Climbing beans need sturdy support.

And I do mean sturdy.

A mature row of beans covered in leaves and pods can become surprisingly heavy.

Keep picking regularly and the plants should continue producing.

Feast

Cook beans until tender and serve simply with butter, toss them through salads or add them to pasta dishes.

If you’ve got a glut, blanching and freezing them is one of the easiest ways to save some for later.

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of those vegetables that’s worth understanding because there isn’t just one kind.

There’s calabrese, which gives us the familiar large green heads, and sprouting broccoli, which produces smaller shoots over a longer period.

Broccoli provides fibre, vitamin C, folate and vitamin K, as well as naturally occurring compounds called glucosinolates.

Sow it

Sowing times vary considerably according to the type and variety, so check the seed packet.

Some broccoli is harvested within the same growing season. Other types require considerably more patience.

Grow it

Brassicas generally appreciate fertile, firm soil.

Unfortunately, we’re not the only creatures who like eating them.

Cabbage white caterpillars and pigeons can make short work of unprotected plants, so netting can be invaluable.

Feast

Steam it, roast it, stir-fry it or add it to pasta.

And eat the stalk.

Peel away any tough outer layer and you’ll find the centre is perfectly edible.

Throwing it away is wasting one of the best bits.

Kale

Kale has gone from humble winter vegetable to fashionable ingredient and back again.

Through all of this, it has remained what it always was: a very useful garden crop.

Kale provides fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and carotenoids, along with other nutrients.

It’s also wonderfully hardy.

Sow it

Kale is generally sown in spring or early summer for harvesting later in the year, although timings vary by variety.

Grow it

Give plants good soil and protect them from the usual brassica-loving wildlife.

One of kale’s great advantages is that it can stand outside through cold weather, providing fresh leaves when much of the vegetable garden has gone quiet.

Feast

Strip away tough stalks and steam, sauté or roast the leaves.

Kale also works beautifully in soups, pasta and dishes with beans.

And yes, you can make kale crisps.

No, you don’t have to pretend they’re exactly the same as crisps.

Cabbage

Cabbage doesn’t always get the appreciation it deserves.

Perhaps school dinners have a lot to answer for.

But a cabbage grown well and cooked properly is an entirely different thing from something boiled into submission.

Green cabbage provides fibre, vitamin C, folate and vitamin K.

And by choosing varieties carefully, it’s possible to harvest cabbage at different times of year.

Sow it

There are spring, summer, autumn and winter cabbages, so check the variety before sowing.

Grow it

Cabbages appreciate fertile, firm soil and consistent growing conditions.

Protect them from caterpillars and pigeons.

Slugs may also express an interest.

Gardening is essentially the process of growing food while negotiating with everything else that would also like to eat it.

Feast

Shred cabbage into slaws, stir-fry it, steam it briefly or add it to soups.

Just don’t boil it until the entire house smells of cabbage.

We’ve moved on.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts may be one of Britain’s most divisive vegetables.

I’m firmly in favour — provided they’re treated properly.

They’re members of the brassica family and provide fibre, vitamin C, folate and vitamin K, along with various plant compounds.

Sow it

Brussels sprouts require a fairly long growing season, so they’re generally sown in spring for harvesting later in the year.

Grow it

Give them firm, fertile soil and enough room.

Tall plants may need staking in exposed positions.

As with other brassicas, protect them from pigeons and caterpillars where necessary.

Feast

Steam them briefly, roast them until the edges caramelise or shred and stir-fry them.

If your only experience of Brussels sprouts is a grey-green vegetable boiled for half an hour on Christmas morning, I’d argue you haven’t really met a Brussels sprout yet.

Lettuce and Salad Leaves

If you’re completely new to growing food, start here.

You don’t need a vegetable garden.

You don’t even need a garden.

Many salad leaves can be grown in pots, troughs and window boxes, and some are ready to harvest remarkably quickly.

Leafy salads provide varying amounts of folate, vitamin K and other nutrients depending on the varieties you’re growing.

Sow it

Sow small amounts every few weeks for a succession of leaves.

Cut-and-come-again mixtures are particularly useful because you can harvest young leaves and allow the plants to regrow.

Grow it

Keep plants watered and watch for slugs and snails.

During very hot weather, a little shade can help prevent some varieties from bolting.

Feast

Pick what you need immediately before eating.

That’s one of the simplest luxuries a garden can provide.

Rocket

Rocket is almost ridiculously easy to grow.

It germinates quickly, doesn’t need much room and gives salads that wonderful peppery bite.

Like other members of the brassica family, rocket contains glucosinolates and provides nutrients including vitamin K and folate.

Sow it

Sow directly outside or in containers from spring onwards.

Make small repeat sowings to keep fresh leaves coming.

Grow it

Keep rocket watered.

Hot, dry weather encourages plants to bolt and can make the leaves much stronger in flavour.

Feast

Add it to salads, scatter it over pizza after cooking or stir it through pasta.

Homemade rocket pesto is also an excellent answer to an unexpectedly enthusiastic crop.

Cucumbers

There is something immensely satisfying about finding a cucumber hiding beneath a mass of leaves.

Particularly because it can apparently go from tiny to enormous overnight.

Cucumbers have a very high water content and provide small amounts of several vitamins and minerals.

Sow it

Start cucumbers in warmth during spring.

Choose varieties according to whether you plan to grow them in a greenhouse or outdoors.

Grow it

They like warmth, regular watering and feeding once they’re producing fruit.

Avoid letting plants repeatedly dry out.

Feast

Eat them fresh, add them to salads, make tzatziki or pickle smaller cucumbers.

If you’ve never eaten a cucumber minutes after picking it, try it.

The flavour may surprise you.

Celery

Celery has a reputation for being slightly demanding to grow.

The reputation isn’t entirely undeserved.

But home-grown celery can be crisp, aromatic and very satisfying.

Celery provides fibre, potassium and folate, among other nutrients, and has a very high water content.

Sow it

Celery needs a long growing season and is usually started under cover.

The tiny seeds need patience.

Grow it

Modern self-blanching varieties make life considerably easier than traditional trench celery.

The clue to good celery is water.

Don’t let plants struggle in dry soil if you want tender stems.

Feast

Eat celery raw, add it to soups and stews or use it as part of the classic base of onion, carrot and celery for sauces and slow-cooked dishes.

The leaves are useful too.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a crop for gardeners prepared to wait.

Plant an asparagus bed and you’re making an investment in future dinners.

Once established, though, a good bed can continue producing for many years.

Asparagus provides fibre, folate and several vitamins and minerals.

Grow it

Choose a permanent sunny position with well-drained soil.

Prepare it properly before planting because asparagus doesn’t appreciate being moved around.

New beds need time to establish before you begin harvesting heavily.

Patience really is part of the recipe.

Feast

Fresh asparagus needs very little.

Steam it, roast it or griddle it.

Add butter or olive oil and perhaps a squeeze of lemon.

When you’ve waited years for something to grow, covering it in an elaborate sauce seems almost rude.

Green Apples and Pears

Not everything green comes from the vegetable patch.

Apple and pear trees can turn even a relatively small garden into a productive one.

Both fruits provide fibre and vitamin C, along with various naturally occurring plant compounds.

Grow it

The important thing when choosing a fruit tree isn’t just the variety.

It’s the rootstock.

Rootstock influences how large the mature tree will become, so choose one appropriate for the space you have.

Also check pollination requirements. Some varieties are self-fertile, while others benefit from a compatible tree flowering nearby.

Feast

Eat them straight from the tree, bake them, poach pears, make apple sauce or turn a glut into chutney, crumble or preserves.

An apple picked from your own tree and eaten in the garden takes some beating.

Herbs

Parsley, basil, mint, chives, coriander, dill and countless other herbs deserve a place in the green garden too.

Nutritionally, herbs contain various vitamins and plant compounds, but their greatest contribution to dinner is flavour.

And they’re among the easiest edible plants to squeeze into small spaces.

Grow it

A few pots near the kitchen door can transform the way you cook.

Just be careful with mint.

Plant it in the ground and it may decide that what you actually wanted was a mint garden.

Keeping it contained in a pot saves future negotiations.

Feast

Use herbs generously.

Make pesto.

Chop parsley over vegetables.

Add mint to peas.

Put basil with tomatoes.

Sometimes the difference between something tasting worthy and something tasting wonderful is simply a handful of fresh herbs.

What About Avocado and Kiwi?

Not every green food needs to come from your garden.

Avocados provide mostly unsaturated fats, along with fibre, folate and potassium.

Kiwi fruit provides vitamin C and fibre among other nutrients.

Kiwi vines can actually be grown in Britain in suitable conditions, although they need space, support and some thought about pollination depending on the variety.

Avocados are a rather less realistic prospect if your ambition is a reliable British harvest.

And that’s fine.

Growing your own food doesn’t have to mean trying to become completely self-sufficient.

Grow what suits your garden. Buy what doesn’t.

Grow a Green Garden

If you’ve never grown food before, green is perhaps the easiest place to begin.

You could start with just:

Salad leaves + peas + courgettes.

All three are relatively straightforward and can be grown without an enormous vegetable garden.

Have more room?

Add:

Beans + broccoli + kale.

And if you’re planning for the future:

Plant an apple tree or an asparagus bed.

Before long, you’ll have green food appearing through much of the year.

And you’ll start experiencing one of the nicest things about growing your own.

Dinner sometimes begins with walking outside to see what’s ready.

What to Do With a Green Harvest

There comes a moment every summer when the garden changes from:

“Is anything ever going to grow?”

to:

“What on earth are we going to do with all this?”

This is when the feast part becomes particularly useful.

Freeze beans and peas.

Turn rocket and herbs into pesto.

Make courgette chutney.

Use cucumbers for pickles.

Freeze spinach for cooking.

Turn apples into sauce or crumble.

And give some away.

Nobody who grows courgettes should be afraid of appearing at a neighbour’s door carrying vegetables.

They’ll understand eventually.

Eat the Rainbow — But Grow It Too

Eating plenty of different fruits and vegetables gives us a varied mixture of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds.

Green foods are a wonderfully diverse part of that picture.

But spinach doesn’t need to promise us boundless energy.

Celery doesn’t need to “detox” us.

Cucumber doesn’t have to give us younger-looking skin.

And broccoli doesn’t need to solve a particular health problem before it earns a place on the plate.

Food doesn’t need miraculous claims to be good for us.

Grow some peas because peas eaten straight from the pod are delicious.

Grow salad because you can pick it five minutes before dinner.

Grow a courgette because watching something that started as one small seed produce an absurd quantity of food is still a little bit magical.

Sow it. Grow it. Pick it. Feast on it.

That’s more than enough reason to eat your greens.

Further reading: Why You Should Eat More Purple, Why Eating Green Is Good For You, Eat the Rainbow: The Power of Red, Why Orange Foods Deserve a Place on Your Plate, The Incredible Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

Follow us on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, Twitter, Pinterest & Facebook

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our Grow Your Own Packs with detailed step by step instructions, seeds and 1 years online support.

Eat Red: What to Grow, Pick and Eat from the Red End of the Rainbow

Strawberries warm from the sun. A bowl of raspberries that somehow never quite makes it back to the kitchen. Shiny red peppers, handfuls of cherries, rosy apples and tomatoes in every imaginable shade of scarlet.

And then there’s beetroot.

Anyone who has ever prepared beetroot while wearing a white top will already know that red fruit and vegetables aren’t shy about announcing themselves.

But those wonderful colours aren’t there simply to make our dinner look pretty.

The reds, pinks and deep purples we see in fruit and vegetables come from naturally occurring plant pigments and compounds, including lycopene and anthocyanins. Different red foods also provide varying amounts of fibre, vitamin C, folate, potassium and other nutrients.

That’s one reason we’re encouraged to eat a varied diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables.

But there’s another reason I particularly like red foods.

Many of them are remarkably easy to grow.

From a pot of strawberries by the back door to radishes squeezed into a spare patch of soil, raspberries along a fence or tomatoes ripening in the greenhouse, you don’t need an enormous vegetable garden to put something home-grown and red on your plate.

So rather than thinking of red foods as something we should eat, let’s look at what makes them interesting, what we can grow ourselves and — most importantly — what we can do with them when they’re ready to pick.

Eat Red. Strawberries, toomatoes, radish, raspberries, rhubarb, apples, cherries, red potato, red grapes, red chillies, cranberries, red pepper

Why Are Red Fruits and Vegetables Red?

The colour of fruit and vegetables comes from naturally occurring plant pigments.

Two you’ll often hear mentioned in connection with red produce are lycopene and anthocyanins.

Lycopene is a carotenoid responsible for the red and pink colour of foods such as tomatoes and watermelon.

Anthocyanins are another group of plant pigments. Depending on the food and its chemistry, they can produce shades ranging from red and pink through to purple and blue. You’ll find them in foods including berries, cherries and some varieties of apple.

These compounds are often described as antioxidants because of the way they interact with oxidation in the body.

But there’s no need to turn every tomato into a medicine.

Fruit and vegetables contain complicated mixtures of nutrients and plant compounds, and eating a wide variety of them is much more useful than pinning miraculous properties on one particular ingredient.

And frankly, there are plenty of good reasons to eat a ripe home-grown strawberry without asking it to improve anything at all.

Tomatoes

If I could persuade someone to grow just one edible plant, tomatoes would be high on the list.

A tomato picked warm from the plant tastes completely different from one that’s travelled halfway across Europe in a refrigerated lorry.

Tomatoes contain lycopene, the pigment responsible for much of their red colour, as well as vitamin C, potassium and folate.

Interestingly, processing and cooking tomatoes can make lycopene easier for our bodies to absorb, so fresh tomatoes aren’t the only ones worth eating. Tomato sauces, soups and roasted tomatoes all have a place at the table.

Sow it

Tomatoes are usually sown indoors in late winter or early spring in Britain because they need a long growing season.

Grow it

Give them warmth, plenty of light, regular watering and feeding once the fruits begin to develop.

You don’t need a greenhouse. Many varieties grow happily in a sunny sheltered spot outside, and compact varieties can be grown in pots.

Feast

When they’re coming faster than you can eat them, roast a tray with garlic and herbs, make tomato sauce for the freezer or turn them into soup.

And the very best ones?

Eat them immediately.

Strawberries

There are few gardening pleasures quite like spotting the first properly red strawberry of summer.

Strawberries provide vitamin C, fibre and folate and contain anthocyanins and other naturally occurring plant compounds.

They’re also one of the easiest fruits to grow when space is limited.

Grow it

Strawberries will grow in the ground, pots, containers and hanging baskets, making them ideal for smaller gardens and patios.

Keep an eye on them as the fruit ripens because birds and slugs are remarkably good at identifying the perfect strawberry approximately five minutes before you do.

Feast

Eat them straight from the plant, add them to breakfast, make strawberry compote or freeze extras for smoothies and puddings later in the year.

Although I have yet to experience the mythical phenomenon known as “too many strawberries”.

Raspberries

Raspberries are another excellent fruit to grow at home because they’re expensive to buy and spectacular when freshly picked.

They’re naturally high in fibre and provide vitamin C and manganese, as well as anthocyanins and other polyphenols.

Summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting varieties mean it’s possible to enjoy home-grown raspberries over a surprisingly long season.

Grow it

Give raspberries a sunny position and reasonably fertile soil. Most varieties will need some support, although once established they can reward you with fruit for years.

Feast

Eat them fresh, scatter them over porridge or yoghurt, make jam or freeze them individually on a tray before transferring them to a bag.

They’re excellent straight from the freezer too.

Not that I would know anything about standing in front of an open freezer eating frozen raspberries.

Beetroot

Beetroot deserves far more attention in the vegetable garden.

It’s easy to grow, doesn’t require enormous amounts of space and gives you two things to eat: the roots and the young leaves.

Beetroot provides folate, manganese and potassium and is naturally rich in compounds called dietary nitrates.

And then, of course, there’s that extraordinary colour.

Sow it

Beetroot can be sown directly outside from spring onwards. Sow small amounts every few weeks rather than the entire packet at once and you’ll have a steadier supply.

Grow it

Thin seedlings if necessary and keep them watered during dry weather. Don’t wait for every root to become enormous — smaller beetroot can be beautifully tender.

Feast

Roast it, pickle it, grate young beetroot raw into salads or combine roasted beetroot with feta, walnuts and leaves.

And remember that the young leaves are edible too.

Red Peppers and Chillies

A green pepper and a red pepper can actually be the same fruit at different stages of ripeness.

As many peppers mature, their colour changes and their flavour becomes sweeter.

Red peppers are particularly rich in vitamin C and also contain carotenoids. Chillies contain capsaicin, the compound responsible for their heat.

Sow it

Peppers and chillies need a long growing season, so start them indoors early in the year.

Grow it

They like warmth and sunshine and grow very well in pots, greenhouses and sunny sheltered positions.

Feast

Roast red peppers until sweet and soft, add them to salads, soups and pasta sauces or preserve a glut.

Chillies can be used fresh, dried or frozen — which is useful because one enthusiastic chilli plant can produce a rather alarming amount of fruit.

Radishes

If patience isn’t your greatest gardening virtue, grow radishes.

Some varieties can be ready to harvest only a few weeks after sowing, making them particularly satisfying for new gardeners and children.

Radishes provide vitamin C and fibre, along with a range of naturally occurring plant compounds.

Sow it

Sow little and often from spring onwards.

Grow it

Keep them watered. Dry conditions can make the roots woody or excessively peppery.

Because they’re quick-growing and don’t need much room, they’re brilliant for filling little gaps between slower-growing vegetables.

Feast

Slice them into salads, add them to sandwiches or try roasting them.

And don’t automatically throw away the leaves. Young radish leaves can be eaten too.

Cherries

Unlike radishes, cherries require rather more patience.

But a cherry tree in blossom is beautiful before it has produced a single fruit.

Cherries contain fibre, vitamin C and potassium, as well as anthocyanins and other plant compounds.

If space is limited, look for trees grown on dwarfing rootstocks, which can make growing fruit trees in smaller gardens much more practical.

Just remember that birds adore cherries every bit as much as we do.

Possibly more.

Red Apples

Not every apple is red, of course, but rosy-skinned varieties certainly earn their place here.

Apples provide fibre and vitamin C, and much of their fibre and many of their plant compounds are found in or close to the skin.

They’re also one of the great seasonal pleasures of the British garden.

An apple eaten straight from the tree on an autumn afternoon is a completely different experience from one that’s spent months in storage.

If you have room for a tree, choose carefully. The right rootstock can make the difference between a manageable garden tree and something requiring an orchard.

And if you end up with more apples than you can possibly eat, there are worse problems to have.

Apple crumble springs immediately to mind.

Rhubarb

Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable, although we generally treat it as a fruit in the kitchen.

It provides fibre, potassium and vitamin K, but I mainly grow it because there are few things more cheering than seeing those first pink stalks pushing their way out of the soil.

Rhubarb is perennial, so once established it can return year after year.

And an important note: eat the stalks, not the leaves. Rhubarb leaves should not be eaten.

Feast

Rhubarb crumble is the obvious answer, but try roasting it too. It’s delicious with yoghurt, porridge or granola.

You can also turn a good harvest into compote, jam or chutney.

Watermelon

Watermelon isn’t the easiest thing to grow outdoors in the British climate, but adventurous gardeners with a greenhouse or very warm sheltered position may enjoy trying.

Its pink-red flesh gets its colour partly from lycopene, and — unsurprisingly given its name — watermelon has a very high water content.

Sometimes growing something slightly ridiculous simply to see whether you can is part of the fun of gardening.

Cranberries and Pomegranates

Not everything on the red plate needs to come from your garden.

Cranberries and pomegranates contain a variety of polyphenols and other plant compounds and can bring sharpness, sweetness and colour to winter food.

Fresh cranberries are particularly useful for sauces and baking, while pomegranate seeds are wonderful scattered over salads, roasted vegetables and grain dishes.

Growing your own should never become a competition to achieve total self-sufficiency.

Grow what works for you.

Buy the rest.

Grow a Red Garden

If you’re new to growing food, you don’t need to attempt everything on this list.

Start with three.

For example:

Strawberries + tomatoes + radishes.

All three can be grown in containers, which means you could create a tiny edible red garden on a patio, balcony or sunny doorstep.

If you have more room, add raspberries, beetroot and a redcurrant bush.

Before long you’ll start noticing how the seasons move through your red harvest.

Radishes appear quickly in spring.

Strawberries arrive with early summer.

Tomatoes and raspberries take us through the warmer months.

Then apples and beetroot carry us towards autumn.

That’s one of the pleasures of growing food: you don’t simply eat with the seasons.

You watch them happen.

What to Do With a Red Harvest

There is a particular point in the growing year when pride in your productive vegetable garden can turn into mild panic.

You’ve grown it.

It’s ready.

And now there’s rather a lot of it.

This is where the feast part matters.

Freeze raspberries and strawberries.

Turn tomatoes into sauce.

Roast and pickle beetroot.

Dry or freeze chillies.

Make apple sauce, chutney or crumble.

Preserve what you can’t eat now and share some with friends, neighbours and family.

Growing food isn’t just about producing vegetables.

It’s about enjoying them.

Eat the Rainbow — But Grow It Too

There’s good sense behind the familiar advice to eat plenty of different fruits and vegetables.

Different plants provide different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds, which is why variety matters more than concentrating on one supposedly “super” food.

But I’d add something else.

Try growing some of that rainbow yourself.

Sow a row of radishes.

Plant a strawberry in a pot.

Grow a tomato by the back door.

Put a raspberry cane against the fence.

Then wait.

Because however nutritious something may be, there’s another benefit to growing food that’s rather harder to measure.

The pleasure of walking outside, spotting something ripe and thinking:

I grew that.

And then eating it.

That’s the good bit.

Further Reading: Why Orange Foods Deserve a Place on Your Plate, Why Eating Green Is Good For You, Why You Should Eat More Purple, Grow Your Own: Best Fruits for Your Garden, The Importance of Growing Your Own Food

Follow us on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, Twitter, Pinterest & Facebook

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our Grow Your Own Packs with detailed step by step instructions, seeds and 1 years online support.

Why Growing Your Own Food Has Never Been More Important

With the rising cost of living, an unpredictable economy, and increasing awareness of our environmental impact, growing your own food has evolved from a pastoral pastime into a smart, forward-thinking lifestyle choice. Whether you live in a city flat or a suburban home with a garden, cultivating your own fruits, vegetables and herbs offers numerous benefits—not just for your wallet but also for your health, taste buds and the planet.

Here’s why taking up this simple yet rewarding activity has never been more crucial.

Ornate Picture Frame with Family Growing their own food on balcony in urban setting

Trust the Source of Your Food

One of the most compelling reasons to grow your own food is knowing exactly where it comes from. No labels to scrutinise, no doubt about pesticides or farming practices—you are in complete control. With so many news stories about contaminated or mislabeled food, growing your own ensures safety and transparency.

Even more importantly, homegrown produce allows you to savour the satisfaction of nurturing something from soil to plate. It builds a direct connection between you and what you eat, fostering trust in the most fundamental way.

Save Money in Uncertain Times

Prices are soaring in supermarkets, and many families are struggling to keep fresh fruit and veg in their weekly shopping. Growing your own food isn’t just a joyful activity—it’s also incredibly economical.

An investment in Sow It, Grow It and Feast can yield a season’s worth of tomatoes, courgettes, or runner beans. Once you get going, you’ll be amazed at how much you can grow with minimal effort—and how much money you’ll save on less fresh store-bought produce. Plus, with the volatile economy, harvesting your own food offers stability against fluctuating prices.

Discover the Unmatched Taste of Fresh Produce

Have you ever bitten into a strawberry straight from the vine? Or pulled a carrot from the soil and eaten it less than an hour later? The difference in flavour is extraordinary. When food travels from your back garden to your kitchen in mere minutes instead of days or weeks, it’s packed with its natural aroma, taste and nutrients.

Supermarket produce, no matter how fresh it looks, often sacrifices flavour for durability and shelf life. By growing your own, you rediscover what vegetables and fruits are truly supposed to taste like—rich, vibrant and full of life.

A Healthy Hobby for Body and Mind

Gardening provides the perfect antidote to our increasingly sedentary, screen-heavy lives. The act of planting, tending, and harvesting your crops keeps you active and gets you outdoors, soaking up some much-needed vitamin D.

It’s also well-documented that gardening can improve mental health. The soothing act of working with soil, combined with the sense of achievement as your plants flourish, can reduce stress and anxiety while providing a deep sense of purpose. And when you involve the whole family, it’s a fun, healthy activity everyone can enjoy together.

Make a Sustainable Impact

Did you know that much of the fruit and vegetables in UK supermarkets travel thousands of miles to reach our shelves? Shipping food across the globe increases carbon emissions and contributes to climate change.

Growing your own food cuts out this environmental cost entirely. You’re producing seasonally appropriate, local food with zero packaging and minimal waste. By taking this small step, you’re contributing to a more sustainable future and fostering a positive relationship with the planet.

Take Control During an Unpredictable Economy

With the economy in flux, food supply chains have been disrupted globally, pushing prices even higher. Growing even a small portion of your own food not only offsets these rising costs but also gives you a sense of control in turbulent times.

Stock your garden with essentials like lettuce, spinach and potatoes, or try window-box gardening in urban settings. Regardless of where you live, every little bit helps in creating a safety net against volatile prices.

Get Started Today

Growing your own food isn’t just an activity—it’s a lifestyle change that promotes sustainability, health, and financial wellbeing. It’s a simple yet powerful way to take control of your food supply while enjoying the satisfaction of something you’ve created with your own hands.

Whether you’re a family looking to reduce costs, a home cook eager to elevate your meals, or a health enthusiast craving fresh and nutritious ingredients, there’s no better time to start. All it takes is a little bit of space, and plenty of love.

Why not grab a trowel and order your first pack today? You’re not just growing food—you’re cultivating a better future. 🌱

Look at our range of Grow Your Own Food Sets which includes access to our online support portal.

Further reading: Sky News – Food Price Rises, Food Prices Rose 28% in Five Years – Nerdwallet, RHS Gardening is Good for your Health