Love cooking, my girlfriend of 8 years cant cook so i always do it

I also live on a smallholding, and we grow a lot of our own fruit and veg, so generally cooking is the art of being creative with whatever is ripened, so mostly, stews, omelettes (we have chickens), risottos, pasta dishes as the bulk of our food (make my own pasta also)

Love Italian food mostly, And have recently really gotten in to Asian food (following a few meals out at wagamamas or however the fluck its spelt.)

The best Veg in the supermarket cannot compare to freshly picked home grown Polytunnel + Hydroponics = year round veg

"Polytunnel + Hydroponics = year round veg"


Only got veg growing in this sophisticated setup?

comment by Robben/Robbo/Robbs/Rob/Nobben/Nobbs #20 (U1145)
posted 7 seconds ago
"Polytunnel + Hydroponics = year round veg"


Only got veg growing in this sophisticated setup?
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Nah, only takes up a third of the polytunnel, we also have 2x 20ft long 6ft wide outdoor raised beds (either side of polytunnel), and a greenhouse,

we have one orchard (are planting another up this year, have 4 trees in there so far) and a fruit bush area that needs clearing and re-establishing (girlfriends parents left it to get overgrown, since i semi-retired last febuary i have started taking an active role in the garden!)

And its the least sophisticated hydroponic system in the world , three discarded 12ft gutters, a pond pump, 12v battery and a solar panel

Sounds good man

I was well impressed when I grew my own tomatoes in the summer - you must get a good feeling of satisfaction from eating a lot of your own food

Wouldn't be able to without the hydroponics, its not quite as tasty as the traditionally grown veg but it produces 4x as much!

generally i use the hydroponics stuff for sauces/salsas where you can cook off some excess water, its still all far better than shop bought stuff though

This year i plan to get a UV grow light for it so it gets 24 hours a day of growing time too! Ive become a self sufficiency nerd!!

Good shout, does it get quite watery then?

Careful: ordering UV lights to use in a polytunnel with a hydroponics system will likely attract the attention of the law!

comment by Robben/Robbo/Robbs/Rob/Nobben/Nobbs #20 (U1145)
posted 4 minutes ago
Good shout, does it get quite watery then?

Careful: ordering UV lights to use in a polytunnel with a hydroponics system will likely attract the attention of the law!
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theres a continuous flow of water for the plants to absorb which is saturated with the nutrients they need, there is generally little to no compost/soil in hydroponics systems, but you get bigger fruit, can warm the water in winter with a pond heater etc.

its not overly watery, but compared to the ring culture tomatoes i also grow they dont have such a strong/rich taste, almost all shop bought tomatoes etc are grown hydroponically, so they still taste better than shop bought tomatoes to me and seeing as i get 4x the tomatoes/peppers/aubergines etc etc from each plant it provides a great base load of veg

Good stuff mate

You a country-dweller?

comment by Robben/Robbo/Robbs/Rob/Nobben/Nobbs #20 (U1145)
posted 25 seconds ago
Good stuff mate

You a country-dweller?
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Wiltshire, we have 5 acres, which is almost completely wasted on 5 horses..

wish i could cook those

Sell them to Tesco

Reece's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal for breakfast

Blimey... fat free greek yoghurt with honey and one slice of toast for me

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Porridge with Honey for brekkers

Knocked up a mean chilli last night. As I said further back: no packets or jars

I hope you didn't use.......mince!

I did. But extra lean 5% stuff.

100g of coriander (leaves picked for serving, stalks chopped and added)
half a garlic
2 x tins kidney beans
1 x tin chickpeas
2 x red 1 x yellow peppers
1 x red chilli
balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire sauce

ground cumin
cumin seeds
chilli powder
paprika
cinnamon
chilli flakes

Oh yes.

Cinnamon? Interesting choice.

Also, was it smoked paprika?

Yeah, always use cinnamon. Not too much, couple of teaspoons... and put all the spices in early on, basically soften the onions then put the spice in. That way the flavour has a chance to soften but be effective at the same time. The cinnamon just sort of melts into the background but compliments the other flavours really well.

comment by Robben #20 (U1145)
posted 12 hours, 2 minutes ago
I did. But extra lean 5% stuff.

100g of coriander (leaves picked for serving, stalks chopped and added)
half a garlic
2 x tins kidney beans
1 x tin chickpeas
2 x red 1 x yellow peppers
1 x red chilli
balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire sauce

ground cumin
cumin seeds
chilli powder
paprika
cinnamon
chilli flakes

Oh yes.
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Use brisket and cube it up, cook it in oven for about 4 hours. I never add beans but agree with cinnamon.


And plenty of smoked Paprika

Going for that baked eggplant parm later on, with a nice garden salad and a glass of some cheap fruity red.

Made it a couple of days ago. The sauce I made has settled, for want of a better word, and is awesome now.

Meeting a mate tmw for lunch. Gonna have my favourite sandwich. Moroccan sausage on pita. Soo good

Agree with Arouna. Any sort of beef that needs to be slow cooked > mince in a chile or stew

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Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by #4zA (U19575)
posted 31 minutes ago
comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga Nikica come on pretty mama (U1308)
posted 14 hours, 45 minutes ago
I hope you didn't use.......mince!
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use crumbled up cauliflower instead of ground up beef for a more healthy alternative
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Cauliflower rice is great. That'll go with out cumin Greek yoghurt kebabs this weekend