Over the next few days, including this weekend, we do have some availability, give us a ring or email if you are thinking of coming to this part of Cornwall. If you like fresh berries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, strawberries and raspberries, this is the place to be! We have never had such a crop, it is brilliant and goes a small way to compensating for losing all our echiums last winter! The baby ones we have potted up are mostly doing well, we have over 50 in pots and several where they seeded.

Availability

Just to let anyone reading this know, we do have some availability over the coming weeks, and dont forget, until the end of June, we are still offering our 'three for two' special, see the website for details - www.michael-house.co.uk.

Since when has Peru been in Britain?

Our obsession with British, preferably Cornish, asparagus has reached a bit of a low point. On two occasions in supermarkets recently, (one of them we really thought would have higher moral standards), the box said British asparagus, but the bundle itself, on bringing it home on the first occasion, said Peru! When this happened for a second time, no asparagus came home! I wonder if the season here has been very short because of the hard winter and the boxes were not changed in time, but surely this was breaking the Trades Description Act? Hope we have not had the last of the British asparagus already.

Just to let anyone thinking of coming to Cornwall this weekend, 4th/5th/6th June know, we do have some availabilty over the weekend.



We had a great time at the Royal Cornwall show today. The weather, contrary to earlier forecasts, was perfect, warm, sunny and with a gentle breeze. As well as an obsession with echiums, I now have a developing interest in streptocarpus, which, despite its disease like name, is a beautiful group of elegant houseplants. I have three on the mantelpiece in the dining room and just bought another two, all are variants of blue and purple.

This weather is so wonderful!

Here is the recipe I use for making elderflower cordial. We have only just finished last years cordial, I had quite a lot in the freezer.

20 elderflower heads - washed
1 sliced lemon
2 tsp citric acid
3 and a half lb white sugar
2 and a half lbs boiling water

Pour boiling water over the ingredients in large pot. Stir to dissolve sugar. Stir daily for five days, strain and bottle in sterile bottles. Keeps in fridge for quite a while, or freeze in plastic bottles, leavng air gap for expansion. Serve with tap water, sparkling water or lemonade, with lemon or mint, or use in sorbet. One of the essential tastes of summer.

Cornish new potatoes and asparagus

If you love new potatoes and asparagus, the local varieties of both are here at present and we are making good use of them! Delicious.

I will love my website more, I will love my website more, I will love my website more...

This should be my mantra henceforward. It is only once something has gone for a while that you truly appreciate it. I rather took the presence of my website for granted. However, it disappeared about a week ago, and I instantly knew how much I valued it! The site has been moved to a new server, so I hope it will not vanish again.

Thank you Jonathan for getting it sorted and Steven for keeping me up to speed with what was happening, as the site went and came on different computers at different times!

Phew, that was exhausting