Toby Anstis' Blog

Remember an old tv show called The Good Life? Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Richard Briers... next door neighbours in the leafy suberb of Surbiton. Tom and Barbara, growing all their own fruit and vegetables. Self supporting couple, with a lovely Aga oven in the kitchen...? My mum and dad used to be big fans of it, so we all sat down as young kids to watch it.

Well, I just want to tell you I might be going the same way as those two. Kind of.

When I first moved into my new house in Hammersmith, I didn't know what was growing in the back garden until mum popped up for tea one day and identified a fig tree, amoungst other things. This was in October last year when it was a lot colder, and we started planting a few bits and pieces, most of which have since been unearthed by foxes and squirrels. However, they can't touch the fig tree and its fruit.

Yesterday, I picked one off the tree, and it was lovely and ripe and juicy. The warm weather providing just the right tropical temperature for the figs to grow in. Obviously I wasn't sure what to do with it. Love fig rolls, those biscuits, but haven't got a clue how to turn a raw fig into one. But I did remember someone telling me once to try it with ice cream. Just so happens got some nice vanilla in the freezer....delicious! Fresh fig, vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with demerera sugar. Lovely.

What next from my home grown fruit and veg collection......

I'm thinking melons and pineapples next! Could happily live on those.

Toby

Posted by Toby Anstis on July 31, 2008 at 08:58AM

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