Easter hols let's make a veg patch

Finally taken the leap into blogging....

The Easter Holidays are giving us some fantastic weather with lots of opportunities for playing outside.

As I type both of my Little Foodies are making and planting a vegetable patch in the garden with their Daddy. We'll update you regularly with the highs and lows and hopefully post some pics. (Thank you to Paul next door for making the wooden framework!)

Which reminds me - why I've agreed to this veg patch I'll never know. I've just remembered when Little was 2 and my lovely husband had grown some fab tomato plants. Little thought he was helping by picking the tiny tomatoes still very green and no bigger than the size of a grape. He was merrily sticking them in the soil after picking. His logic was that more plants would grow and we'd end up with even more tomatoes. My normally placid and laid back hubby decided that our lovely son was not too young for punishment and started compiling a list of things that needed to happen.. Tears were wiped away from sad child who didn't know what he'd done wrong and husband was given stern words. Have just been outside and reminded Hubby under strict instructions that this is to be a fun and enjoyable activity and that things do go wrong and mistakes happen.

We had some lovely Watercress Soup for lunch. Recipe below:

3 bags of John Hurd's oganic watercress
(or 3 bunches of any watercress I just happened to have this)
4 small to med sized potatoes
1/2 romaine lettuce that was lurking in fridge (optional)
2 teaspoons marigold swiss vegetable bouillon powder
600ml boiling water
25g butter
100ml cream

Peel and cut potatoes into rough 1cm chunks.
Gently melt butter in a large pan, then add potatoes. leave on gentle heat for 5 mins.
Sprinkle the bouillon powder over the potatoes and add the boiling water. Cook for 15 mins.
Wash and chop the watercress and lettuce if using and add this to the pan. Cook on gentle heat for 5 mins.
Take off heat and liquidize. I used my hand held blitzer thing but you have to be careful it doesn't splash up which is why I use a large pan.
Add the cream and season if you feel it needs it.

This gave us 4 bowls full, which was adequate for a lunch with some crusty bread.
Spring in a bowl!