Yeah! Our 14th Birthday…

Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us!

Oh my, I still remember that evening with friends when we were typing all sorts of word combinations into the search engine seeing if we could find something that was unique and reflected all that we held dear. The word chicken was associated with fried food restaurants and most of the hen names were linked to pre-wedding parties, but when we added the word ‘Corner’ (which is where our house is on the street) we found the google gold of tumbleweed…

So here we are fourteen years down the line; the first five years of blog posts, courses and events were a hobby business alongside a part-time day job, then Hen Corner scaled up capacity and moved up a gear to become a full time business in 2015.

As we blow out the candles and raise a glass of bubbles, let’s look back over some highlights since our last birthday…

Obviously, we have to start with the book launch, publicity events and tour…

Scrolling through the photos, I couldn’t resist this one with Mary Berry from Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival – where we celebrated publication day, other fabulous events on the tour included Gardener’s World Live – Autumn Fair where I met some great people that I continue to work with. Living The Good Life in the City is still selling well and I can post out signed copies if you order from me.

 

It was a year for awards…

We collected THREE Great Taste Awards, a World Marmalade Award and closer to home, I was recognised locally with the Mayor’s Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution within the Community’…

Best ever year for Bee Keeping

Last May we were up to 9 colonies over 3 apiaries, a few of these were swarms that I collected, and even whilst nursing a broken rib (that I snapped whilst pulling at a strong bramble root) we celebrated our biggest honey harvest ever, a total of 71kg that’s 284 jars.

We started some new courses for adults:

Making Linen Christmas Crackers was a sell-out hit and due to popular demand we created Introduction to Gluten Free Baking

I’ve continued to enjoy splitting the curds from whey

So in my enthusiasm have created two new cheese courses; Making New Cheeses teaches Halloumi, Garden Roule and a Soft Mould Ripened Blue cheese.

Whilst Cheese Together, for all the family, makes Apricot Soft Cheese Balls, Garden Roule, Hand Pressed Fresh Cheese and Rosemary Crackers

A new collaboration

We’ve been enjoying some of the wonderful award winning products from Bray Cured, who make handmade British charcuterie, and have been working with them to reduce food waste by creating a new bread, Fennel Salami & Olive Sourdough, using the end of salami trimmings that can’t be sliced for customers. We are delighted to announce that this is now available to order from our weekly micro bakery, and collected from Hen Corner on Fridays.

Finally our ever-growing wheat ‘field’!

Whilst we add up everything that we harvest from the garden, last year between the fruit and veg, honey and eggs it totalled £4,200 worth of food, I regularly say that we use our honey money to buy our wheat and our meat – well this year we are growing a small ‘field’, just 6m2, of wheat – which should be enough for 3 large loaves of bread…

Coming up at Hen Corner:

Wednesday 1st May Urban Hens – Keeping Chickens In London

Saturday 7th May Full Day Bee Keeping

Wednesday 29th May Introduction to Cheese

Thursday 30th May Bees for Children

Tuesday 4th June A Day At Hen Corner

Thursday 13th June Making Scones And Jam

Saturday 15th June Full Day Bee Keeping

Wednesday 19th June Introduction To Making Pasta

Other news:

• The colony of bees that we brought over from the allotment is now two colonies! Both are thriving and looking forward to meeting the guests on our upcoming Bee Keeping courses
• We are enjoying the new season asparagus – it’s coming through thick and fast…
• The fig trees are budding, both at home and the plot

Jobs for the week:

• Label up some honey jars – we are bring some bees to Chiswick Flower Market on Sunday 5th May
• Mow the grass between the beds at the allotment
• Start potting on some seedlings

Life is always full – but who wants a diary that rattles…

What is growing in your garden this spring?

Sara