Lynne Allbutt

Courgette, Pea & Mint Soup

Butter for frying
1 tbsn olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
250 g courgettes, trimmed and chopped
750 ml chicken or veg stock
250 g shelled peas
Handful fresh mint leaves chopped.

Melt butter in large pan, add oil.
Add all chopped veg, season, cover and cook until soft (about 10 mins). 
Add stock, simmer for 5 mins and add peas. 
Cook for further 15 mins. 
Stir in chopped mint.
Blend until smooth and season to taste.
Good hot or cold and add you can add a little cream, crème fraiche or yoghurt to serve.

"Good gardeners need to 'cook good'!!"  Lynne Allbutt

Please support ....

“What’s the fastest vegetable in the garden?  A runner bean.”
I have heard this joke several times this week as a result of committing to a bit of a Run-athon next month.  It all starts with the Cardiff HSBC 10K on the 6th September where I’ll be running to raise money for the Kidney Wales Foundation; then on the 20th I’ll be joining the Great North Runners for ‘the most famous half marathon in the world’ and raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.  Just a week later it’s off to London for the Sony Ericsson Run to the Beat half marathon where I’ll be joining the Banana Army raising money for Leukaemia Research.  And the final run of the autumn will be back on home turf for the Cardiff half marathon on the 18th October.
All support and encouragement will be very gratefully received and if you pop into www.lynneallbutt.com you will find the JustGiving links to enable you to make a donation to the Charity of your choice.   It might be my feet pounding the pavements but it’s putting your hands in your pockets that makes the real difference.  Thank you x
And the strongest vegetable in the garden?  The muscle sprout of course!

Radio 2's Lynn Bowles Goes Green

BBC Radio 2 presenter, Lynn Bowles got half way through her practical year studying agriculture before she realised it wasn’t for her. “It wasn’t because of the bad weather or anything”,  she says adamantly, “Being Welsh I’m used to the rain; I’m Welsh and waterproof”, she laughs.  “I just thought it’s not for me and I decided to do a degree in communications instead.”
Well known for presenting her traffic reports during the Terry Wogan, Sarah Kennedy and Ken Bruce Shows,  Lynn adds, “We all spend too much time whinging about the weather.”  (It is tipping down outdoors as we speak).  “My philosophy is, ‘if it’s dry get outside and enjoy it – quickly.’  Make the most of the good days.” 

It's Not Easy Being Green

Star of BBC’s “It isn’t Easy Being Green”, James Strawbridge, surprised me a little by confessing he’s always wanted to be a Landscape Gardener.  “I’d love your job”, he enthuses, “I have always been into wildlife and Nature and even learnt Latin in college so I could be a Landscaper.  I love gardening and always have done.  As a kid, we moved house really often and the first thing we always did was let the chickens out of their carriers and dig a veg patch as we set up camp.” He laughs,   “We even had goats in a small semi-detached garden once.”
James also had concerns for the environment at a young age.    “As a kid my hero was the cartoon character Captain Planet and I went on to do Environmental History at College which lead to environmental volunteering abroad.  It’s great to learn about sustainability and it’s amazing to see how people can close the loop and provide their own food in the most adverse conditions.”