The Hyde – open garden (only twice a year or so, so don’t miss it)

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The Hyde Walled Garden is open to the public for only two days a year, but it’s well worth the wait. This is quite a hidden place, just a couple of miles outside of Luton.  If you don’t know it’s there, chances are you won’t stumble upon it.


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Here some pictures we took during our 2011 visits.

You can find out a little more about the history of the estate here:

www.seekinghyde.org.uk

 

 

 

H Collins butcher – Round Green

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A rarity these days – An independent butcher. H Collins may be the name above the shop, but the man behind the counter is known to his regulars as ‘Roly’.

All your standard fare is here, including the occasional locally sourced rabbit.

Opening hours:

Monday: 8am – 4pm
Tuesday: 8am – 5pm
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 8am – 5pm
Friday 8am: – 5pm
Saturday 8am: – 3.30pm
Sunday: Closed

 

Round Green Fruiterers

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UPDATE:

The Round Green Fruiterers have very sadly closed.

A new buyer was found, but hasn’t opened yet. We’ll keep you posted.

 

Here’s what we’re missing:

The loveliest place for fruit and veg, just down from the roundabout at the top of Hitchin Road, is Mr & Mrs Mini’s little greengrocery.

It may look like a bog standard greengrocer’s at first glance, but it is so much better than getting supermarket stuff. Having shopped there for most of our fruit and veg since we moved to the High Town area of Luton, we wouldn’t want to leave it off the site.

The Round Green Fruiterer’s opening hours are:

Monday: 8am – 5:30pm
Tuesday: 8am – 5:30pm
Wednesday 8am  – 1pm
Thursday: 8am – 5:30pm
Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 7:30am – 5:30pm
Sunday: 9am – 12:30pm

Mr Mini sources local produce when available, so this summer we brought home pound after pound of the tastiest Bedfordshire mini plum tomatoes. He also stocks Bedfordshire honey, free range eggs, a selection of Italian staples like pasta and olive oil, bird food and even bedding plants.

The Minis offer great quality and they’ll kit you out with some recipe ideas as well.

Luton Hoo walled garden

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Despite the name, Luton Hoo is just outside the boundaries of the town of Luton, straddling bits of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The story of the estate is a long and winding one, and we’re still in the process of untangling it all. Apparently, the main House was sold to a hotel group by the Phillips family, who kept the agricultural buildings and land, and the Walled Garden.

Now there is a fence dividing the grounds of the house from the Walled Garden and the farmland, and a group of enthusiastic people have made a start on re-invigorating the beautiful gardens located in the ‘non-hotel’ grounds.

We first visited in late Summer 2011, for an art exhibition by our friend Abi Spendlove. She was an artist in residence, and her works were displayed as part of a large exhibition. It was a wonderful experience, and the charm of the old greenhouses, boiler house, and of course – the wall – added to the mood.

We last visited in September 2012, and more of the buildings have been refurbished/re-built. The beautiful greenhouses though are still waiting for a fairy godmother to save them, as a lot of money is needed to save them.

Peppers and onions from the Luton Hoo Walled Garden Project

Cooking with vegetables from the Walled Garden

Part of the gardens are used to produce fruit and veg, and there are also bee hives. We bought wonderful potatoes, honey, and some sedum plants for my garden at home. Generally, produce can be purchased on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but please check with them directly, to be sure.

See above for my latest creation with peppers and onions from the garden, the rest of the vegetables being from Mr Mini.

http://www.lhwg.org.uk/

Luton Hoo Walled Garden
Luton Hoo, Luton, Beds, LU1 4LF
01582 879089
office@lhwg.org.uk

http://www.facebook.com/LutonHooWalledGarden

 

Luton Hoo Walled Garden

Jazz Jam at the Carnival Arts Centre

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Another fabulous jazz jam session at the Carnival Arts Centre in Luton (just behind St Mary’s Church). The special guest today was a keyboard / Fender Rhodes player called Greg Foat, who charmed everyone with great renditions of “Penny Lane” and “Day Tripper”.

He’s just come back from Sweden, where he recorded some rather lush music which involved a sexy 70’s style backing choir. I tried to buy the cd from him but it had sold out. I’ll be trying to get it online from Jazzman Records here: http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.ukSculpture garden at Carnival Arts Centre, Luton

I had the pleasure to be let up on to the stage and sang a couple of Christmas tunes. Then there was a guy from Harlington who played a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi, followed by a lovely Spanish lady called Salome, who played classical flute.

Check out dates and upcoming artists on the Luton Jazz Jam Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/lutonjazzjam

And most of all: keep swinging!