You will have heard the rumour that parsnips taste better after a frost. This is true: some of the starch is converted into sugar, which explains why parsnips are bland in summer and moreish in winter. As we rediscover the value of seasonal foods, we once again see the parsnip and leek as kitchen pleasures in the dark days. It pays to keep an eye on the ground conditions, as both are all but impossible to lift when the ground is frozen. The deep root comes out with a bit of fork-working, then grasp the crown, wiggle, and out she comes!
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The garden created by a forgotten genius of the 1920s, rescued from 'a sorry state of neglect to a level of quality it has not known for over 50 years'George Dillistone’s original Arts-and-Crafts design at Knowle House, East Sussex, has been lovingly restored and updated with contemporary planting. George Plumptre tells more; photography by Clive Nichols.
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21 of the greatest craftspeople working in Britain today, as chosen by the nation's best designers and architectsWe've persuaded some of the most celebrated names from our Country Life Top 100 to name the craftspeople they have in their own personal little black books.
