Charlotte's November Newsletter
This autumn feels particularly busy for me, and last few weeks have flown by. It has been a serious exercise in organisation, as I have been almost on back-to-back trips, which will continue pretty much until Christmas.
I’ve been very fortunate to have spent time in Scotland, both in Edinburgh and Perthshire, and then Dublin last week. I spent time with family and friends in Edinburgh, and visited some really interesting food producers, shops and restaurants in Perthshire. In Dublin, I attended the Irish Food Writing Awards, for whom I have judged categories each year, which is a real privilege and responsibility.
Annoyingly, I’ve had this unpleasant cold that’s been going around, and I had to cancel my appearance at Dartmouth Food Festival as I was really feeling quite unwell. Apologies to everyone I missed seeing there this year.
Next week. I’m heading back to wonderful Northern Ireland, to visit more producers, distillers and restaurants, which I cannot wait for, and then I’m off on holiday for a couple of weeks at the end of the month. I will be taking a complete break whilst we return the Caribbean islands, which we love so much. I am committing to no internet use whilst we are away, putting our phones away and taking the books I have lined up to read and some music to listen to.
Whilst I’ve been away, I’ve been enjoying some really fantastic food and drink, and I’ve written some updated guides for where to eat, drink and stay for Edinburgh, Dublin and Perthshire. I am adding more guides regularly, which are all available for subscribers. To avoid an excessive number of emails from me, I am uploading these pieces without an email notification, so do take a moment to explore my page and see everything that’s available for you to read there, including some special recipes and advice pieces.
Back in Oxfordshire, the garden is still productive, but needs some work tidying up for the winter. We have just picked the very last of the runner beans, as the frames were blown over in the bad weather, sadly. We will save the beans in a dry place to grow next year. The kale has done very well, and we have planted more curly winterbor, which is a great everyday variety. We have plenty of cavolo nero and some tiny sprouts growing. I will use the sprout tops soon, as I absolutely adore them stir-fried and served with a little butter. The beetroot and chard are still looking good, and I see them both for sale in the shops, too.
We haven’t grown any squash or pumpkins this year, but some Crown Prince squash I bought from an organic stall at a farmers market convinced me that we need to grow this next year. If you have not tried it, I cannot recommend it enough. Red Kuri is another special variety I always look out for.
Behind the scenes, our farm search continues. Each week, it takes hours of time spent trawling the internet, making phone calls and emailing estate and land agents to remind them to let us know if anything becomes available. Hopefully all the effort will prove fruitful soon.
Before I sign off, I’d like to thank you so much for reading and subscribing. Do take a look at the full back catalogue of posts on my page for more.
Wishing you a warm and happy weekend, whatever you’re up to,
