Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Saturday 3 May 2008

A perfect lunch

There's a landmark moment each spring when we pick fresh ingredients straight from the garden, cook them straight away and eat them sitting outside in the sunshine. Today was the day for the first 'perfect lunch' of 2008.

From the garden – the first cut of asparagus, and salad leaves: lettuce Rouge l'Hiver and Winter Density and chicory (all of which over wintered)

With the addition of new potatoes, Cromer crab and Pan Gallego, all purchased this morning from Linton Farmers' Market

And homemade mayonnaise made with egg yolks from the under-gardeners' eggs

We had a gourmet feast . . .
Perfect!

15 comments:

  1. Mmm ... every year it amazes me, East Anglia - less than a couple of hours' drive - is about a fortnight ahead of us. It'll be at least another week before we get our first cut of asparagus. I expect your tulips are all finished, though?

    What a lovely day for your first garden lunch ... let's hope Sunday and Monday are as good

    Joanna

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  2. Beautiful looking meal! I was just poking around my aspargus plant to see if any shoots were starting to appear. Sadly no, but I am in Canada in zone 3/4 and am likely a few weeks behind you.

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  3. My attempts at growing asparagus have faile miserably to date but your post has inspired me to try again!

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  4. And this, Celia is why I know that envy is green. We are SO green with envy.
    Delicious looking meal.
    CHarlotte
    xx

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  5. What a perfect plate of food! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked looking at it.

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  6. Looks irresistible. Good job you don't live too close or my insatiable pregnant hunger would have driven me to your house to wolf the lot. We had our first harvest yesterday too - five radishes, each about 1cm in diameter. Not quite in the same league!

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  7. mmmmm... my mouth is watering! What a delicious looking lunch.

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  8. A gourmet treat indeed! I just LOVE Cromer crab.

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  9. Oh, just perfect! We had asparagus yesterday which we bought in Norfolk in the afternoon. It was wonderful, but now I wish I'd looked for crab too...

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  10. Last Christmas was the first time I had ever tried asparagus would you believe, and I liked it. What a fantastic meal you have made with ingredients straight from your garden and your hens! Couldn't be better. x

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  11. Wow that is the perfect lunch:-)
    Take care,
    Alison x

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  12. Thanks Celia.
    I am putting together a small memory book of my dad so I can just take a look at it when I think of him. I thought your lovely notebook was just perfect...something special.
    Thank you.
    Take care,
    Alison x

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  13. wow, quite a presentation!

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  14. Joanna - our tulips are still going strong!

    Enjoy your asparagus when it's ready!

    CS - asparagus is a long term commitment, but even a few spears freshly picked transform a salad.

    GBVC - now the home grown veg is underway I'll check out your recipes again.

    Threadspider - I did!!!

    Thanks for dropping by Silverpebble - but I bet the radishes were special!

    Thanks Gina - it was delicious!

    Matron - you can't beat Cromer Crab for flavour!

    Toffeeapple - you'll have to take the cool box next time for the crabs!

    Louise - so pleased you liked asparagus - see if you can find some freshly picked English spears - you'll be amazed!

    Hi Alison - thank you! What a lovely idea, I'm pleased the little book will be used for something so special.

    Thank you Jude - fresh home made salads should delight the eye as well as the taste buds!


    Celia :)

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  15. Can I come over for lunch? Your garden sounds wonderful. I've never seen such a bean plant here in the States, so pretty- they almost look like a kind of calla lilly flowering. :)

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