Something for the Summer

the windows and that light is shining off a big yellow truck. The Cheese Truck to be precise!

The Cheese Bar started its life as the Cheese Truck, going round markets and food festivals and, well, it’s made a comeback big style! Whilst we isolate in our homes dreaming of cheese, we can simply get on line to get our fix. You can place an order for incredible British cheese, charcuterie and of course wine, beer and cider and have it delivered to your door! You barely have to move from your sofa except to pick it up from your doorstep on your very special delivery day.

POW!!! The cheese night is back in the room!! They have a great selection and did I mention IT’S ALL BRITISH CHEESE!!! So whilst we sit in our homes to save the NHS, to save our friends’ and families’ lives potentially, we could be ordering British produce to save these small producers from going out of business whilst looking after The Cheese Bar/Truck too! It’s never been easier to buy local and British as it is right now and they have such an amazing variety of cheese and charcuterie that why would you go anywhere else?

But! Enjoy your nights out whilst being in. Get your mates or partners to order some too and make an online party of it. Why not!

Get online now at thecheesebar.co.uk and enjoy!

Something special for summer

By Gillian Balcombe

It’s very hard to ignore the uncertainty and anxiety that’s gripping us all in these challenging times. But one thing is very sure, as I sit writing this. The skies are blue, the sun is shining and summer is most certainly on its way.

So here’s a dessert that will bring a smile to your face – either in lockdown or when we’re all out and about again, celebrating! It’s a special ‘cake’ my mother used to make for any party and now I use the recipe, adapted slightly. An absolute favourite among friends and family, it’s gluten-free too.

Raspberry Meringue Gateau

40 INGREDIENTS For the meringue: 4 large egg whites Pinch of salt 180g caster sugar 1 tsp lemon juice 125g ground almonds For the filling and topping: Fresh berries of your choice: raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or a mix 300ml carton double cream 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp caster sugar Freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries

Cibare Magazine www.cibare.co.uk METHOD 1. Take two 8”/20cm sandwich tins and line the sides and bases with parchment paper. 2. Preheat the oven to 160oC / 140oC Fan / Gas Mark 2-3. 3. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Add half the sugar to the beaten egg whites, a tablespoon at a time, whisking at each addition, then add the lemon juice and whisk again until very stiff. 4. Mix the remaining sugar with the ground almonds and fold gently into the meringue mixture. 5. Divide the mixture between the

two prepared tins and smooth the tops. 6. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the tops feel crisp to the touch and the colour is changing. Turn off the oven and leave the layers inside to cool. 7. Once cooled, carefully peel away the parchment paper and place the meringues on a wire rack. They should be crisp outside and slightly soft and chewy inside. 8. Whip the double cream with the vanilla essence, caster sugar and lemon juice, taking care not to overbeat or the cream will split. 9. Spread about half of the whipped cream over one layer of meringue, then place a layer of berries on top. Spread another thin layer of cream over the berries and sandwich on the top layer of meringue. 10. Smooth the remaining cream over the top of the cake and decorate with a few berries or a scattering of freeze-dried berries for a lovely intense flavour. Or do both!

Serve and enjoy...

NO-WASTE TIP: Remember you can use up those egg yolks making delicious goodies – such as chocolate truffles, mayonnaise, coconut pyramids – so they don’t go to waste.

-Editors Note If your meringue doesn’t work out the way you hoped, it will still taste incredible! I promise.

Grow Your Own

By Emma de Sousa

April is a busy month in the garden. The first signs of spring have already sprung, green shoots are popping up everywhere (along with weeds!) as the days get longer and the weather starts to warm up in preparation for the days ahead.

So long, storm season We’ve had one of the wettest winters I can remember. Some parts of the UK have had a really hard time with rain that seemed to fall non-stop for weeks on end. That may not be entirely correct, but I’m sure that’s how it felt for some folk!

42 My garden is on heavy clay soil and each winter the water sits on the surface of the ‘lawn’ (to be honest, it’s more of a mud patch at this time of year) and this winter’s been no exception. We’ve had to wade to the top of the garden and the dogs don’t even want to walk on the grass – they hate getting their feet wet! The poor old chickens have had mud boots on their feet pretty much all winter. And the grass has churned up more as the months pass, so my annual grass-sowing has been delayed.

But as the days lengthen and get drier, a sense of hope and joy starts to creep in. All the jobs that have been left over the winter (believe me, there have been many) now seem urgent, especially with those pesky weeds popping up.

The benefits of raised beds The raised beds I put in a couple of years ago make it much easier to keep on top of everything, including weeding. We cleared most of them at the end of last year, except the Portuguese cabbage we grow year-round for our favourite Portuguese Green Soup, and to feed our rescue hens.

Cibare Magazine www.cibare.co.uk We weeded, mulched and topped them all with a good layer of nutrient-rich compost to help the soil recover over the

The other good thing about raised beds is that they’re easy to cover with membrane to suppress weeds, if you want to be super-efficient. Covering your beds early on lets the soil warm up faster, so planting tends to be easier and more successful because the soil’s that bit further along, rather than too cold.

It’s not too late to get growing Hopefully by now you’ve planned what to grow this year, already started seed sowing and have some plants on the window ledge or greenhouse. If you haven’t got around to it yet, or lack time or space, buy in some plug plants. It’s a quick, easy way to get ahead of the game and cut out the initial legwork.

If you grow in a small space, it’s also a great way to grow exactly what you need. Once the weather really warms up, there’s no reason you can’t sow directly into pots and beds without the need for a greenhouse.

Keep an eye out for frost Don’t be fooled by longer days and warmer weather. We can still get hard frosts in April so if you do any direct sowing, watch the forecasts and fleece things if need be. I don’t tend to plant out my greenhouse seedings until after the second week in May. There’s nothing worse than getting out those plants and seeds, only to lose them all to one night of frost!

I have a stack of old plastic water bottles (the really big ones you get in workplaces) with the bottoms cut off, which I use as a cheap alternative to a cloche. I inherited mine from my old allotments and have had them for years. I store them on a bamboo stick in the ground next to my compost bins, then slip them off as I need them.

THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH • Keepontopoftheweeds.They’ll appear all over the place, so the longer you leave them the worse it’ll get. Run a hoe along beds between planting/sowing and get them while they’re small! • Sow in succession to ensure a constant crop throughout the coming months, especially ones such as lettuce, rocket and micro leaves, which are all best picked and eaten while the next batch is on its way. You can even plant them in old guttering. • Plant marigolds in your greenhouse to repel greenfly. Companion planting is great for keeping aphids away and attracting beneficial insects which feast on them, such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies. Other good companion plants include mint, thyme, lavender, garlic and chives. Some repel, others attract good insects and pollinators to your garden. Plant mint in a container or it’ll take over. • Keep composting! I always go on about this but it’s really one of the best things you can do if you have the space. It’s an ideal way to use all those garden cuttings, kitchen peelings, even shredded cardboard – and get the most nutritious compost to feed your beds.