I’m Lee, a hobby gardener and home cook, usually found covered in flour while baking sourdough in the kitchen, tending to chickens, or caked in mud (thick of clarts as my Geordie mother-in-law will correct me) while working in the garden. I’d like to welcome you to my happy place, The Delectable Garden—a world where I get my hands dirty growing food to create delicious meals for my family and friends.
I started The Delectable Garden blog 8 years ago to share my love for gardening and cooking. It was a space I carved for myself to be creative and to achieve a ‘simple life’ for me, my husband Gary and our two dogs, Ralph and Edith. My blog was inspired by our seasonal garden in my hometown of Nottinghamshire. Last March, we swapped our mature garden for, well, grass, a lot of grass! When we moved to a converted barn in a small village in the Northumberland countryside—a place that has always felt like home to us.
Despite the sea of green, I’ve managed to create something special in our short time here. In spring, I discovered a crown of rhubarb growing in the garden, which I used to make a delicious batch of rhubarb and vanilla jam to share with our new neighbours. In return, they gifted me a bowl of freshly picked damsons, which I turned into damson gin.
With this newfound community came an abundance of apple trees, and by autumn, I was harvesting apples from our gardens to press and brew my very own cider.
This is where my true passion lies—creating home-cooked food from homegrown produce to share with others. You don’t need an allotment or a large garden to do this. It’s about making the most of the space and time you have. My ever-growing collection of potted herbs is proof that tasty things can flourish in small spaces.
I’ve learned not to get overwhelmed by gardening. I take it plant by plant, border by border. I’ve spent time getting to know my new garden, understanding its boggy and shaded spots. I don’t have a grand design in mind, just a theme—countryside garden. I like to visit gardens with a similar theme for inspiration. I also use plant identification apps when wandering through gardens and the countryside to help me pick plants that suit my vision and are suitable for the tricky spots I have identified.
In December, my first task was planting a row of cider apple trees leading up the driveway—partly because it’s bare-root season, but mostly because I love cider! This is my first step to a countryside garden filled with herbs, wildflowers, native shrubs, and homegrown vegetables, creating a balance of beauty and sustainability.
Join me on my blog www.thedelecatblegarden.co.uk or @TheDelectableGarden on Instagram, as I work toward a more sustainable life through our garden. I’ll be sharing gardening ideas, growing tips, and simple recipes to help you create your own Delectable Garden.
