One of the best things about chilly November days is that they are the perfect excuse to settle down with some good winter-warmer food straight from your garden.
© NTPL / David Levenson
About potatoes
The humble spud is one of Britain's favourite and most versatile vegetables. Whether chipped, mashed, roasted or boiled, potatoes taste great! Here are a handful of facts about them...
- The biggest potato fans are the Portugese, followed by the Irish - and then the Brits...
- The first record of chips being eaten in Britain was in 1854
- The biggest potato ever grown weighed in at 3.2 kg - that's the same weight as my cat!
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Recipes
Potato and apple cake
A variation on apple pie, from a 1920s recipe.
Ingredients:
For the pastry
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 250g plain flour
- Salt
- 80g beef dripping or butter
- 1 egg yolk, plus 1 whole egg beaten for glazing the pie
- 50ml milk
For the filling
- 1kg apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 175g demerara sugar
Method:
- Boil potatoes until tender, then mash
- Mix flour and salt, then grate in dripping / butter
- Add potatoes and egg yolk, and mix
- Divide dough and line pie dish
- Fill dish with apples and sprinkle in half sugar
- Cover apples with another layer of dough
- Put rest of sugar and apples on this
- Top with remaining dough, seal the edges and glaze
- Bake at 200c (gas mark 6) for 20 minutes, then 180c (gas mark 4) for further 20 min
- Serve hot!
Pan Haggerty:
This dish is claimed by both Lancashire and Northumberland, and is a superb supper dish.
Ingredients:
- 450g potatoes
- 225g onions
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 110g Lancashire cheese (grated)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Slice potatoes and onions thinly
- Heat butter in non-stick frying pan
- Add potatoes, onions and cheese in layers - seasoning as you go
- Fry gently until cooked
- Brown under a grill
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Also in season
The peak of the crops has now passed, but there is no reason to go hungry (or even worse, go high-food-miles) this month.
Vegetables:
Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, purple sprouting broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, chard, chicory, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnip, potatoes, salsify, spinach, squash, swede, turnips.
Fruit: Apples, pears, forced rhubarb.
In the garden
Getting outside and gardening is now definitely less appealing than at the height of summer, but don your warm gardening gloves and head out because there are still some jobs to be done!
- If you've not done it yet, bring in your herbs to protect them from the frost.
- Now that the fruit has finished, prune your soft fruits back ready for next year.
- Some planting can be done in November - including garlic and broadbeans (in sheltered areas) or carrots if you have a cold frame.
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