The sun has shone all weekend and has helped with the propagation of the winter seedlings. We are nearly there with removing all the summer crops from the polytunnel, only cucumbers and a lone truss of tomatoes to go. More perennial spinach was planted this week in place of the summer crops and lots of oriental salad seeds were sown.

Today is Day Two of the Emsworth British Food Fortnight and Christine and I ran the Curds and Preserves sell-out workshop, demonstrating the skills required for this great activity. The participants assisted in making a tomato and apple chutney, followed by an apple and lemon curd with the final preserve being a blackcurrant jam. We are already planning workshops for 2018 and certainly will do another with different preserves. Christine has also come up with a workshop along the lines of ‘Grow your own Cake’, combining both GYO skills and baking. Watch this space!

As part of the British Food Fortnight activities, I am delighted to tell you that Montezuma’s will be bringing their chocolate mobile vehicle this Thursday for an hour from 09:30 in our car park – all you chocolate lovers please note! They certainly get my vote for being a great local company that sells both nationally and now internationally, a wonderful tasty product. If you can’t make this Thursday, they will also be attending next Thursday 5th October. This Friday is our Macmillans Coffee Morning between 9am and midday. Do come along to support this great charity and enjoy a good cup of organic coffee with a slice of homemade cake. Talking of which, any contributions of homemade cakes would be gratefully received.