Growing Herbs

I use a lot of herbs in my cooking, and it is so handy to grow your own in the garden. I love that I have fresh herbs on hand, no matter what or when I am cooking. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to grow vegetables, but my herbs are doing great. I have encouraged my kids to garden with me, and they have a huge patch of strawberries growing. The wee man has had fun planting sunflowers and tomatoes. I have a bay tree, rosemary, tarragon, mint, 2 kinds of parsley, 2 kinds of basil, fennel, chives and lemon thyme. I am going to attempt garlic this year too.

Do any of my readers grow their own herbs or food in their garden? I'd love some tips & hints! Leave a comment below.

This post is an entry for BritMums’ #KidsGrowWild Challenge with www.moneysupermarket.com/home-insurance/competitions/kids-grow-wild/

Celeriac Tartiflette

Celeriac  is one of my favourite vegetables. I quite often use it in place of potatoes, as it is much more flavoursome. I picked one up in Sainburies the other day, and was walking around the store wondering what to do with it when I spotted some Reblochon cheese. Of course, I decided to make tartiflette and use celeriac instead of the traditional potatoes. It was a huge success! I used a recipe that I found on Mumsnet and took it from there. I did take a photograph, but it was terrible so decided not to share it! Believe me though, it was great.

1 celeriac, peeled & chopped
250g bacon lardons or smoked bacon chopped
2 shallots, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
100ml  white wine
200ml double cream
1 whole Reblochon cheese
Salt & pepper to season

Parboil the celeriac for 10 minutes in some boiling salted water. Drain & set aside. Meanwhile, fry the bacon lardons in some olive oil. Preheat the oven to 200c.Add the shallots & garlic to the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes. De glaze the pan with the white wine & allow to reduce down slightly. Place the celeriac in an oven proof dish. Pour over the wine/bacon mix over the top, and then the double cream. Season. Place slices of the Reblochon over the top & pop into the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with a green salad or crusty bread.