The Gardening thread.....

[Roy S]

Looks great, Roy. No excuse now for not having home-made mint sauce with yer lamb!

Oh, but I haven't seen you eating lamb chops for ages.... Time for some soon, me thinks?

Marco.

Well I'm heading into Upminster later, check up at my dentist's and this butchers is not too far away

http://www.cjohnsonbutchers.co.uk/

So if I can be bothered to walk into town (they're talking about 97 degrees here today!) I'll check them out.

[Marco]

Looks good, so just DO it, because as they say darling, you're worth it!

These look fab: http://www.cjohnsonbutchers.co.uk/pr...ed-lamb-chops/

So I'd defo be getting my laughing gear around some of those beauties!

Marco.

[Marco]

We're just off to ours in town (a 5-min drive, with free parking), to stock up on some lovely Welsh lamb:







Marco.

P.S Note: Established 1886 - and STILL going strong!

No pandering to the demands of modern consumerism there....

[InThe Sticks]

Sweetcorn is getting there eventually..



Peppers are almost ready..



2 of about 10 tom plants which still aren’t bloody ready yet!



Now soaking the veg patch as it certainly needs a drink, as do i

[InThe Sticks]

That butchers looks good Marco.
I really need to seek out a good one round here rather than using supermarkets for convenience.
Waitrose is always good, but rather pricey and i'd rather put my cash into local businesses.
Theres a few of us from Suffolk on here, so, any recommendations?

[Marco]

Produce looking good, Jon! Ours is coming along nicely, too...

Yeah, that butcher is an institution here. Customers come from miles around to his shop, such is the quality of his produce, even top restaurants use his stuff. Aside from lamb, we went in today to get some streaky back-bacon, which he home cures, as he also owns a farm where most of his produce comes from, but we couldn't get any as he didn't have the *right* pig!

Quality matters... So we've to pop back later in the week to get some. Yeah, supermarkets are ok up to a point, but you simply can't beat meat from a butcher and fish from a fishmonger, for freshness and quality, *especially* when it't not only much better, but often CHEAPER! Simply removing the packaging element can save you plenty...

Plus, why wouldn't I use a butcher like that when it's within such easy reach?

Waitrose is ok, and probably the best quality supermarket, but for me (and we might just be different in this respect), much of the stuff is overpriced for what it is, some if it considerably so, and even though I can afford to pay the price, it sticks in my throat knowing that a significant part of what I'm paying for is the 'privilege' of shopping in Waitrose and/or badge snobbery - and that just isn't me.

I love great quality food, but I don't like paying through the nose for it, when it simply isn't necessary. Anyway, hope you find a good butcher near you. I'm sure there are a few, and like you, I like supporting local independent businesses

Marco.

[Marco]

Some assorted spuds, freshly dug from our garden.....







Isn't nature wonderful?

Marco.

[Roy S]

Imagine how many chips you could make out of that lot.

[Marco]

And you'd be just the man to munch them!

Not a bad crop though, eh?

Marco.

[guy]

grapes ripening nicely: