As every day is a little longer, and hopefully warmer, than yesterday, now is the time to start planning all things in the garden. If you dream of scrabbling for new potatoes or picking your own peas, now is the time to get ready.
Our column in this issue of Out & About Magazine focuses on planning your plot and presents our new course Growing the Good Life on Tuesday 24th February
The trouble with root vegetables is, they tend to be underground.
‘I planted way too many potatoes last year and, after their plants had died down, I completely forgot which were planted where and randomly discovered them as I was turning soil to plant out other crops’ writes Sara Ward, doyenne of Hen Corner in Brentford (aka a terraced house with chickens in the back garden).
She has learned the error of her ways and is planning this year’s planning with the enthusiasm and care that others might muster for an exotic holiday.
We’ve tidied away last year, hopefully, you feel a sense of achievement? Now it’s time to look forward and start to dream of what we hope to weave into the weeks and months ahead.
I’m writing this with a big bowl of oranges in front of me, we are making marmalade tomorrow, and I’ve bought some new seeded malted flour to bake bread with – I bet it will be delicious with butternut squash soup for lunch. We’ve got some exciting things coming up including our TWO DAY course Making Cheddar, Stilton & Sourdough, our business start up course Become a Bread Angel – Start your own Micro Bakery plus a brand new course that we’ve created because people have asked for it.
Now is the time for trying out something new, she says, Now is the time for making marmalade from Seville oranges. If you would like to breakfast like royalty, making two types of marmalade and a loaf of bread, she has the very course…
With Christmas blessing to all our course guests, customers and readers.
We hope to see you in 2026!
Sara and all at Hen Corner
Christmas is a very busy time for us at Hen Corner, as we run courses on Christmas baking and making Christmas food gifts as well as the wreath-making course. Vouchers for our courses also make good Christmas gifts.
The Christmas season has officially begun, so said Classic FM this morning, and I’ll be starting this week in style at Olympia London.
I’m bringing the Christmas chapter of my book to life as I host The Christmas Corner at the Ideal Home Show Christmas, 26th -30th November.
This month we are harvesting the vegetables for Christmas dinner, making festive wreaths and taking hardwood cuttings of currant bushes. There’s also our recipe for seasonal Leek Tarte Tatin.
When we ‘grow our own’ we save money, reduce our carbon footprint and enjoy both the time outside and the fruits of our labour.
I love winter. I love the cosy evenings, overnight frosts, twinkling lights, cheerful music and warming food. The colder days almost bring the garden to a pause and so we don’t feel guilty spending our weekend afternoons baking special treats or taking time out to meet with family and friends.
Our column in this issue of Out & About Magazine focuses on finishing the year well…
Now that the clocks have gone back and Half Term is behind us, we at Hen Corner are focusing on Christmas and it is all systems go, both on the production front – note the chutneys and preserves pictured above – and in terms of running courses, including Christmas wreath-making.