dressing made with wild mustard seeds and lemon thyme. I cracked open a bottle of sparkling apple wine that I had brewed. I thought it would taste of vinegar at best, but was it was stunning, and my guests guzzled it down with compliments. Though they were a nightmare to grow (I battled with wildlife and weather), the highlight of my Christmas dinner had to be the Brussels sprouts with chestnuts from my local park. We had crispy roasted potatoes with foraged fennel seeds, red cabbage braised in homemade vinegar, baby carrots, and leeks. We cheated on the meat, opting for a rib of native Aberdeen Angus from a farm my family and I toured during the summer. All in all, the project was a success. In the process, I have created a new community garden, giving me further space to grow ingredients for this year’s Christmas dinner that I hope to share with a few other city dwellers looking to get a little closer to the food they eat.
Rachel De Thample’s book, Less Meat More Veg is currently available internationally through Amazon.co.uk.
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LEAF MAGAZINE
spring 2012