Delightful dish

After exploring the gardens at Cruden Farm, Maggie Beer and Paul Bangay return to the kitchen to prepare a delicious menu to celebrate the farm’s 90th birthday. “The menu comes from the garden, with very accessible recipes,” says Beer (with Bangay, right). “They’re dishes Dame Elisabeth would have loved that I was inspired to make after walking through her garden.” Maggie believes we can all cultivate our own kitchen garden, be it big or small.

“I’ve known for the last 40-something years the difference in having ingredients that you pick from your garden and cook straight away,” she says, adding, “From a flavour and freshness perspective, there’s just no equal.

“The key is to plan. Plan your seedlings so they will come into their natural seasons and have progressive plantings. And look after your garden with lots of compost and organic matter, so you make the most of every bit of water that you use.”