Allotment News

Husband and wife Sam and Sam Clark - owners of restaurant Moro - reveal recipes in their latest cookbook Moro East that are ideal for allotment holders. Recipes in the book were influenced by their Turkish, Turkish Cypriot and Kurdish allotment neighbours, although sadly, their Hackney allotments were one of the sites bulldozed to make way for London Olympics. For example, how about gathering chickweed, poppy shoots and dandelion leaves, chopping them together, frying them with garlic and sliding them into a pitta bread – what a wonderful way to deal with weeds! Another suggestion is that when you have to trim artichoke plants, you can take the new leaves, peel them and fry them, apparently they taste like artichoke but look like a stick of celery. The Clarks hope the book will encourage people to grow and eat their own.

The fire service was called out to help a man who trapped his own leg in a rotavator in Harlow yesterday – apparently he was working on his allotment when his leg became stuck in the mechanical digging machine shortly before midday. The fire crews tried to free the man for an hour before using hand tools to release him and give him over to the care of the ambulance service.

And in Basingstoke, a storm is brewing. The Longcroft allotments, presently in The Lines, are being slated to be moved to a currently uncultivated plot, to free up the land for about 25 ‘affordable homes’. But local councillors expect a wave angry locals to object. The head of the newly-formed Kingsclere Allotment Holders Group, said, ‘We are fighting this like mad, and lots of people have become involved. The allotments and the playground next to it are outside the Basingstoke and Deane Settlement Boundary Plan, so in order to develop the site, they have to apply for a rural exemption.’

Labels: allotment recipes, allotment-news