British Allotments: Grow Your Own Vegetables Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers

I love my garden and what I grow in it.

But this year I've had a new-found envy for allotments.

This is a double allotment.

But it's got beans and it's got peas and potatoes.

It's got onions, fruit, everything.

It is just such a beautiful place.

And the room to do things properly.

There's so much grown on these allotments.

People of all ages are enjoying growing their veg here.

Olga and her two children, Penelope and Alexander,

have their own patch growing all sorts of produce.

So how long have you had this allotment?

This is my second summer.

And it was an allotment or...?

-It was a dump.

-SHE LAUGHS

-It was a tip. It was overgrown.

-Found a worm.

-Leave the worm. Worms are good.

-We love worms.

'I want to cook a rich and thick tomato and garlic dish.

'Everything I'm cooking with has been grown on this allotment.'

-Are you fussy about vegetables?

-No, he's the fussy eater.

What vegetables do you like?

Nice cutting.

Thank you.

Um... Yeah, tomato.

What herbs have you got here?

We've got some sage and we've got some rosemary.

-Oh, some rosemary.

-Yep.

Do you know where the rosemary is?

-Here.

-Yep.

Can I nick a bit of rosemary?

Do you want to pick some of the tops of the stalks?

And put them in there?

Well, let's see what Nigel's going to do.

'It's great to see the children enjoying this place,

'and they really get stuck in seeing the seeds they've planted

'grow into wonderful produce

'and then eating it.'

This is the first year that we've had proper crops

and they've been part of the process from the beginning,

from the planting, from the watering.

So they saw the seeds go in?

They're seeing it through, yeah.

That's what's making it interesting for them.

I'm just going to cut this up into very small bits.

That one has lots.

Yeah, and you see, that's actually quite spiky when you eat it.

But if you cut it up, then all you get is the flavour.

Eugh.

Oh, that smells lovely.

Mummy, if I like this, one day can you cook it?

-Yes.

-I know it sounds odd,

but I want to put a little bit of cream in there

because I just think with those juices...

I mean, we'll see.

'In the pan, I have olive oil, tomatoes, rosemary,

'garlic and a little cream.'

The cream mixes with the juices from the tomato

and you just get a completely different flavour.

Yum, yum.

The cream mixed up with that thing, it looks like caramel.

It's something you could have on the side with some meat,

or you could dump it on top of rice.

Let it cool down.

Mmm.

I agree. Oops! Mine fell.

-Mummy?

-Yep?

You know I don't really like that meat thing for the pasta.

I would like you to cook this instead.

You mean this instead of bolognese?

OK, we'll do this instead of bolognese.

-Mmm.

-Yes?

Mm-hm, yes.

May I have some more?

NIGEL LAUGHS You certainly can. Just tuck in.

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