Journal
Journal: Seasonal Plant-Based Notes from Norwich and Norfolk
Squash piles up on the market stalls in October, wild garlic fills damp woodland in early spring, and asparagus from the Brecks has its few short weeks before midsummer. The journal follows those changes as they happen.
Each fortnight a new piece looks at what is arriving or ending: a crop at its peak, a herb worth growing, a way to cook something that is about to disappear for another year. Some pieces stay close to Norwich, with notes on where plant-based eating in the city is heading. Others range across Norfolk, from the saltmarshes of the north coast to the heaths of Breckland where wild thyme grows.
The pieces are written to be useful in the month they appear, so the most recent sits at the top. If you want the full picture of what is in season, the seasonal calendar sets out every crop month by month, and the homepage lists every checked place to eat in the city.
Latest pieces
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What to Get a Vegetarian or Vegan Friend: Thoughtful Gift Ideas
Food hampers, cookbooks, a pot of thyme or a meal out: ideas for vegetarian and vegan friends, from shop pages of vegan gifts for him to the labels worth reading before you wrap anything.
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Squash and Pumpkins in October: Which to Choose, Cook and Store
October is squash month. A guide to the varieties worth cooking, the difference between carving pumpkins and eating squash, plant-based dishes, curing and storing, and pick-your-own patches.
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Vegetarian and Vegan: What the Words Mean on Labels and Menus
Vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, flexitarian, plant-based: what each term means, where vegetarian and vegan came from, how the UK trademarks work and what to ask when ordering.
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What Are the Ways to Achieve a Healthier Diet? Steps With More Plants
Eating more healthily mostly means more plants: fibre, pulses and seasonal vegetables, cooked at home where possible and chosen with care when out, whether that is a Norwich lunch or a write-up of healthy food in Manchester on the road.
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Blackberries and Elderberries in Late Summer: How to Forage Them Well
Late August hedges are full of blackberries and elderberries. What the law allows, where not to pick, how to identify elder with confidence, why elderberries must be cooked, and what to make with the haul.
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Wild Thyme in Flower on the Brecks: Where to See It and How to Visit
In July the short grassland of the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecks turns pink with thyme. Where it grows, how to tell wild thyme from the rare Breckland thyme, and how to look without damaging it.