STOP PRESS: CherryBake

STOP PRESS!

Our CherryBake line-up is hotting up.

Ed Baines of Randall & Aubin, Oliver Rowe of Konstam, The Sunday Times' Lucas Hollweg, Sainsbury's Magazine's Sarah Randell & cherry expert Helen Lindsay Clark are now confirmed.

We've had lots of entries but there's still room for more so if you'd like to take part, please sign up online - Sign up for CherryBake now! For more information on our cause, see our special CherryAid microsite. and become an official CherryAider & join our Facebook Group

CherryAid is back!

We're gearing up for CherryAid 2009 - building on the huge success last year - and you should be doing the same! Over the past 50 years, Britain has lost around 90% of its cherry orchards and now 95% of the cherries sold here are imported - so we really do need your help to save the British Cherry.

There will be cherry-tastic events up and down the country throughout the summer and particularly on National Cherry Day - Saturday 18th July.

Put the date in your diaries now as we'll be spending the CherryAid weekend from Thursday 16th July - Saturday 18th July at London's Borough Market. There'll be fresh cherries, trees & all kinds of special products from raised pies with cherries to cherry fudge.

The highlight of the weekend will be our CherryBake contest on Saturday 18th July. We want you to come along with your masterfully baked cherry dishes (made with English cherries, obviously!) to enter into the competition for the chance to win a Cherry Tree (& all the cherries on it) in Michael Dallway's Kent Orchard. Celebrity Foodies Diana Henry, Ed Baines & Oliver Rowe will be on hand to judge & a winner will be chosen on the day. It could be you....

If you'd like to take part, please sign up online - Sign up for CherryBake now!For more information on our cause, see our special CherryAid microsite.Become a CherryAider & join our Facebook Group

Home-Grown Harvests - It's all over

We've had enough. As Oscar memorably said - it's a fight to the death and one of us shall have to go. So the rocket, my friends, is going. I shall pick as much as I am physically able without giving myself a disc rupture, give it away to everyone in the office and the neighbours, and then we're.... starting all over again - this time sowing less more often as it were. We are also the proud owners of a nice neat row of celery - what is one to do with so much - and a wigwam of beans. However the beans in the bucket, so happy the other day, are determinedly dying on us and we haven't figured out why. Any clues? Oh and another pearl of wisdom - oh how they do come... Never plant melons in the same grow bag as tomatoes. They will hate it, them, you and then die. However they seem to get on better with courgettes. Go figure...