Upwardly mobile

Many apologies for my recent silence. Having moved house we no longer have a landline and were quoted >£1000 for one unless I dug the trench myself. The thought of the pile of stones that would entail has forced me into desperate measures: a visit to the mobile phone shop. It appears we have a broadband transmitter visible from our bathroom. Although my mobile phone puts up a miserable performance in the house, we can get perfect internet by placing a receiver smaller than Al's prized parsnip on the ledge of the pantry porthole, the only north facing window in the house. Marvellous.

Miner Detail!

I suppose I better talk about some vegetables. Now having the plot in my back yard as it were, a constant flow of winter produce is feeding a line of new experimental dishes, and not all of them contain turnip. By popular request, I will be passing on some recipes starting with some dishes to keep you going through the tough winter months. The subject of the first is Miner's Lettuce, fresh and succulent from its goldrush at the end-of-year awards. Claytonia perfoliata amazingly grows through the winter unperturbed by heavy frosts although susceptible to a bit of mudsplash. While having no distinctive taste, its attraction is in its texture, a chewy crunch if that's possible (officially "mucilaginous"). A recipe? Two slices of homemade sourdough (sliced), some cheese (sliced), a large dollop of home made carrot chutney, one miner's lettuce (chopped). Combine the ingredient in layers, starting and finishing with the bread. I havent got a name for it yet but I think might catch on.