Dear Customer,

As I write this, it is tipping it down. After no rain whatsoever for so long it is now torrential - but of course, it's that Wimbledon time of year. I'm sorry for all the farmers battling the drought and now the inundations - a perpetual challenge or a perpetual stress. We might get some fresh parsley from Pam Bowers now. Last week she was explaining how she was prioritising. She couldn't get water to all her crops- the lettuces were the first in line, then the spinach and chard and last was the poor parsley that couldn't have any.

In some of the bags this week are the famous Camus Artichokes. They come to you from Saint Pol de Leon in Northern Brittany, for which they are renowned. Large and fleshy they are the vegetable equivalent to eating lobster.

Someone once said:
" …life is like eating artichokes, you have to go through so much to get so little…". On life I would agree, but these artichokes with their dense leaves and tender hearts are definitely worth the labour.

Cut off the stems at the base, place in a pan and cover with boiling water. Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to prevent from darkening and to add flavour. Cover the pan, bring to the boil and cook until very tender and an inner leaf can be pulled out easily. This should be between 20-40 minutes. Pluck the leaves out one by one and dip the base in a vinaigrette or butter, eat only the tender base of the leaf. The further you progress, the more there is to eat until you eventually arrive at the heart - the best part.

Also in the bags this week is Swiss Chard. Originally from Greece, Aristotle wrote about it in the 4th Century and the Romans praised it for it's nutritional properties. Chard is an excellent source of Vitamins A, E, C, B6, K, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, thiamin and much more. It is of the spinach family and can be used instead of spinach in most dishes. The stems take several minutes longer to cook than the leaves, so separation is advisable.

You could chop the stems up and sauté them in a little olive oil and garlic for 3 minutes then add the chopped up leaves and continue to sauté until the liquid from the greens has evaporated and the chard is tender. If desired you could then toss it with penne pasta adding some lemon juice. You could steam it and add it to an omelette or quiche or use it in a lasagne. It is delicious too simply as a side vegetable. Some steam or boil the stems and eat as asparagus, cooking the leaves completely separately.

I hope your nerves have recovered enough from the England game to go through it all again with Henman. Or maybe you wisely step back from it all !

Many thanks,

Isobel Davies