i scream, you scream...

What could be nicer in the midst of a heat wave than a big scoop of Raspberry Ice Cream:

While I have made this recipe before (from David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop) it seems especially good this year. It could be the weather, but I think it must be the raspberries from Rachel's plot!

cheery cherries

We've had a bumper crop of sweet cherries this year:

So I used one pound to make the Candied Cherries from David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop.

This is a handy way to preserve them, but I still think they're best eaten just as they are, straight from the tree!

curley chocolate

Coffee break with Rachel at William Curley:

Rachel had the financier (in back) and I had the brownie (in front). With pots of coffee, we were in chocolate heaven!

Located in a hidden passageway just off Richmond Green, William Curley is definitely worth seeking out: they've just won Best British Chocolatier from The Academy of Chocolate for the third year in a row.

And for hot days on the Green, they also serve artisan ice creams. So much temptation in such a little shop!

the berry best

June means strawberries, which makes it the perfect month for assembling Springbok's The Berry Best puzzle:

But while it is pretty super, it has nothing on the strawberries from Jo's plot...

which are amazing on their own or in Frozen Strawberry Milkshakes:

This recipe is from The River Cottage Family Cookbook. So easy (whizz frozen strawberries, a bit of sugar, and whole milk in the blender) yet so luscious and creamy and downright summer-y!

salad days

This is the first year we've grown lettuce on our allotment plot:

Now we just need to master successional sowing, as what seemed like a big crop a few weeks ago is fast disappearing!

At least it's being eaten by us and not the slugs...at least so far...