For the first time we've 'forced' the rhubarb by covering it with a large bucket. We pulled the first sticks on 26 March, maybe a week or two before the uncovered rhubarb will be ready. Rosemary sprinkled it with white sugar and baked it, covered, for 30 minutes.

The flavour was exceptional and the delicate pink colour was very attractive. The juice tasted of a fine dessert wine with a good balance of acidity and sweetness. Absolutely knock-out.

Bangers and Mash

Rosemary spotted this presentation on a TV cookery program. She added spinach and peas to the plate, but looking at the picture it could have done with some gravy. Rosemary put cheese into the mash and really knows how to get the onions beautifully crisp. The sausages are from Rumps, a local butcher and are of superb quality.

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung

The bird is on the wing

But that's absurd

The wing is on the bird

We've had a good week on the allotment as the weather has been dry for some time and it has also been a bit warmer.

We've put in 5 seed potatoes in the hope of early earlies. This is the 3rd year we've used Lady Christl for earlies as they have been reliable, prolific and early.

Rosemary has sown the onions, 5 different varieties: Giant Zittau, Long Red Florence, Golden Bear, Red Baron and White Lisbon.

We've also sown the tomatoes: Inca, Purple Calabash, Black Russian, Jacqui's marmande type, coeur de beouf and tigarella.

No sign yet of any recovery from the Artichokes.

Goat's Cheese Salad

Quick, simple, unfussy, easy, light and tasty; the perfect lunch. The bag of mixed leaves are dressed with a walnut oil vinaigrette and sprinkled with chopped walnuts and apple. The toast doesn't have to be this burnt but that's the way that Rosemary likes it. Cautious approval from Gertie.

Everybody loves Raymond

This apple tart was made using a Raymond Blanc recipe that he demonstrated on his cookery programme. Short crust pastry, dessert apples glazed with butter, sugar and calvados, baked in a hot oven until the apples are nicely caramelized and then a rich custard poured over for the last 10 minutes. As RB would then say 'voila'.

March in Edinburgh

Very enjoyable trip to Edinburgh, staying at the Apex hotel in Waterloo Place. Nice hotel, good food, great location but the front-of-house staff all responded as if they had only been hired the week before, which let it down a bit. The weather was cold but dry, which was good for sightseeing.

The picture is of a Buttery with Crowdie and Leeks in a Cream Sauce. This was served in the restaurant at the National Gallery. The buttery was described as a Scottish version of a croissant, which seemed fair as it seemed to be a yeast leavened puff pastry. Crowdie is cream cheese. It made a delicious light lunch.

We also ate well at The Garrigue, an authentic French restaurant, in Jefferys Street. I had a very tasty fish soup served with aioli, followed by cassoulet. We also ate at Kushis Indian restaurant. This was very good and deserving of the 'must do ...' recommendation.