Mrs Gastro's Allotment in mid Summer

Mrs Gastro1 got her allotment just under four years ago and after a first 12 months of very hard work it began to yield some amazing fruit and vegetables.

After much trial and error Mrs Gastro1 has worked out what grows well and now our family is getting superb fruit and vegetables grown without any pesticides whatsoever ( not the case with certified organic ) just good old fashioned horse manure and organic slug pelets not to mention hard work dedication and planning.

Over the last 6 weeks we have had first class berries ( Tayberries , Loganberries , Blueberries and Yellow and Red Raspberries) yellow and green courgettes and French beans , Rocket , Escarole , Radicchio di Treviso , Potatoes , Broad Beans,Leeks ,Peas , Spinach , Swiss Chard, Artichokes , Wet Garlic , Rhubbard , Red Currants , Black Currants and Gooseberries.

We estimate that in at least 8 months of the year we get over 60 % of our fruit and vegetables from the allotment on any given week. The goal is to reach 80% ! And boy do things taste better when you have just picked them.

Another benefit has been the gastronomic education of our two sons who of course have been involved in growing fruit and vegetables and eat absolutely everything with great gusto.

I would recommend my fellow Londoners to get on a waiting list, the hard work really pays off !

Mrs Gastro's delights from the allotment

Mrs. Gastro has been producing amazing things for the last three years from her allotment located in Putney Vale. The familgia are extremely lucky to be able to get outstanding fruit and vegetables out of the ground and into their bellies sometimes in less tan an hour.

We have had wonderful Blackberries, Loganberries, Raspberries, French Beans, Broad Beans, Artichokes, Shallots, Cavalo Nero, Radicchio de Treviso as well as Carrots, Potatoes, Leeks to name just a few of the wonderful produce from our allotment.

Our friends are amazed at how well our kids eat and especially their consumption of all fruits and vegetables. The education aside I'm sure food related travel and their involvement in growing a lot of their own food has certainly helped them become little epicureans.

It should be no surprise that my eldest boy now 9 ate foie gras at La Tupina in Bordeaux aged 18 months an act that caused most of the kitchen brigade to pop out and see who this child was. My youngest boy exclaimed one day aged 4 at The Chelsea Fishmonger , Rex Goldsmith that he thought the Red Mullet was exceptionally fresh and he wanted some. One of the ladies waiting beside me asked me " how do you do it" my children will only eat fish fingers".

Today as you can see we had some wonderful young broad beans served raw with some smoked back bacon lightly dressed in virgin olive oil followed by a superb Gooseberry and Rhubarb crumble. Before the aforementioned the Shepherds Pie we had featured potatoes that had been in the ground less than 2 hours before we ate this hearty dish.

We are looking forward to a bumper crop of Rocket and Berries this summer which will form the basis of more Gastro delights.