My Best Organic

I love receiving my fruit, salad and vegetable boxes - I get quite excited about what delights will be revealed as I open the boxes. However, I have to admit that I have had to find new recipes in order to include some of the contents into my family’s diet. Take, for example this week we received a butternut squash. We’ve had quite a few lately and at first I struggled to know what to do with them. CAKES! This is the answer provided by Jamie in his book “Jamie at Home” - and the recipe works a treat. What I also really like about his recipe is that he uses olive oil as rather than butter - so great for those with dairy allergies or vegans. I also made the cakes with gluten-free flour and it still worked out fine.

There’s no denying it, Jamie Oliver is a bit of a legend. His work to raise the standards of food in schools is fantastic. I’ve recently seen that a firm are producing vending machines for schools that are stocked only with organic and healthy snacks - what a great idea. Children like vending machines! Schools, unfortunately, have in some cases become reliant on the extra income from selling snacks so it’s such good news that businesses are starting to provide alternatives for forward-thinking institutions.

Another aspect that I think Jamie has been helpful in, is encouraging new gardeners to have a go at growing their own food. On his website that he even has organic herb seeds with shiny grow-bag gift packs. With such enticing packaging and with Jamie’s name on it, who could resist? With fresh organic herbs so difficult to come by, it seems like a sensible solution. In that spirit I have a pack of basil seeds to try. I don’t have a particularly successful history of looking after plants, but I’m guessing the motivation of fresh basil in my quiche and in pasta sauces will be quite useful x

This post was submitted by Susannah.