allotment
September 6th 2013
Last week I went to help Audrey water her brother’s allotment in Acton, while he was on holiday. Allotments (Community Gardens) are small vegetable gardens, made by subdividing a larger piece of land. Gardeners have to pay an annual membership/rental fee for the use of their plot and have to agree to abide by the allotment rules.
picnic
This was of course a very good excuse for a picnic. Audrey made some delicious lemon hummus, we picked a few ripe tomatoes,
cucumber
a wonderful knobbly, crispy cucumber, plus we had some French Brie, olives
chorizo de bellota
and the first piece of my Barcelona Chorizo de Bellota.
grapes
As we were finishing the picnic, Audreys brother arrived (back from France), with his wife, children and next door neighbour. So instead of doing the gardening, we ended up drinking a couple of bottles of wine!
purple basil
Luckily I still got to go home with a couple of cucumbers, a few tomatoes, onions and potatoes, a bunch of grapes, rocket and some purple basil.
sunset
Suddenly it all got dark and we had to find our way out…
I made the most amazing pizza the next day (recipe here), with the fabulous chorizo, tomatoes and purple basil.
Mad Dog TV Dinners 
Now, that’s the best sort of gardening!
Most definitely!
Love it! Gardening is one of my favorite things to do. I have to say that chorizo looks fantastic!
Thanks Tessa, that chorizo is amazing 😉
Can’t get an allotment for love nor money near me MD. I’ll just need to move to a place with more land…..:)
Unfortunately nor can I – I’d love to have one 😉
Now this is a coincidence, MD. My son lives in Acton, where he has an allotment. He shares this allotment with Andy Harris, the editor of Jamie Magazine. Could your picnic allotment be in the same place, I wonder? That apart, what a good picnic. I’ve only just realised how many allotments there are, on the edge of the towns, over here.
Wow – those six degrees of separation keep getting smaller! I’ll ask. In the meantime, the allotment is next to South Acton Overground Station 😉
How wonderful to have an allotment! My friend, Kate, has just got one near Lowestoft. And what a terrific way to garden! Lovely!
Yes, I’m quite jealous, they are hard to come by 😉
Who knew a trip to the garden could be such an adventure!
Yes indeed 😉
Another bottle of wine, or two, and you might have brought back even more produce from the garden, MD. Just saying …
We’ll have to start earlier in the day. After 3 bottles it was dark 😉
Sounds like a great time at the allotment! We used to have one and loved it but there wasn’t any wine. Now they have vines there and are producing the stuff – what bad timing for us!
Oh no! That’s bad timing, though you seem to have a wonderful garden at home 🙂
Love this style of gardening! Doesn’t that chorizo look good? We’re back in Spain but back again to the UK for the winter in October and I really hope we’ll finally get to meet up again. Big Man is intrigued by the concept of allotments in England…who knows, maybe we’ll sign up for one!
I just had some chorizo for lunch – that one is extra special!
I booked another flight to Barcelona for the end of the month – I’m going to the Cavatast – I can’t wait!
We must have drinks and or dinner when you guys get back 😉
Ooh the Cavatast looks like great fun. We will be driving back around those dates, maybe we’ll have to go via Barcelona instead of up the centre and to San Sebastian!
That would be a brilliant place to meet up 😉
Those are the best sort of picnics.. impromptu.. guests arriving, lots of wine and finding your way home in the dark:D
Yes – it’s a bit like a picnic in the woods 😉
wobbling home on your bike no doubt. I love those allotments, some are llike works of art, collected together by a mad eclectic curator.. c
No wobbling, but I did take my bike to Acton on the Overground.
I’d love an allotment, but there’s nothing going that’s local enough to be practical.