April in the country
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PINK AND BLUE
Sea thrift pops with pink on the rugged coast of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, the southernmost area of mainland Britain. The sapphire sea looks inviting, especially with the sheltered sands of Church Cove in view, a popular family beach for paddling and swimming. However, the water at this time of year still holds its winter chill, so brace yourself if venturing into the blue.
PAIR OF PEARLS
Resembling abstract art, the mosaic-patterned wing underside gives these small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies their name, with each wing bordered by seven ‘pearls’. Favouring damp habitats, the species forms colonies in the woods, heaths, wetlands and grassland of western Britain, with strongholds in Scotland and Wales. These two are perching on a bluebell on the North Devon coast.
GREEN AND GARLIC
The brilliant green of fresh beech trees coming into leaf as wild garlic flowers beneath is an enchanting spring sight, as seen here at Midger Wood in Gloucestershire. Gather wild garlic leaves in your local woodland to make simple yet delicious spring dishes. countryfile.com/tag/wild-garlic-recipes
EARLY ARRIVALS
Spring is the season of forced rhubarb. To lure the plant out of winter hibernation, the crowns are covered by a pot; the warmth and darkness causes the rhubarb to break through the soil early, producing a delicate pale-pink stem. Here, Carol Klein of Gardener’s World harvests her colourful crop, grown under terracotta pots.
CURIOUS CLUB
The glossy orange coat and amber eyes of a fox cub gleam among bluebells in Oxfordshire. Most foxes are born in March, in litters of four or five pups, blind, deaf, covered in black fur and reliant on the vixen’s milk. By mid to late April, when the cubs are six weeks old, they have transformed into inquisitive, bold and playful youngsters.
Nature news
CONSERVATION IN ACTION
BECOME A WATER VOLE SURVEYOR
UK water vole numbers have crashed by almost 90% in the past 10 years. The National Water Vole Monitoring Programme aims to stop this decline by gathering information on the whereabouts of water voles to help guide conservation e orts – and they need your help. To take part, you will need to survey 500 metres of riverbank at an allocated site between 15 April and 15 June, recording any signs of water voles you see. To register, visit ptes.org/surveying-water-voles/
BRING ON THE BLOSSOM
New to 2022, Orchard Blossom Day (29 April) is an annual celebration of fruit trees, flowers and food. Launched by Orchard Network, a partnership of organisations working together for the conservation of orchards, the day includes tours, fairs, picnics and crafts at sites across the UK. ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/
UK’S TALLEST BIRD ON THE RISE
Common cranes became extinct in the UK in the 1600s because of hunting and marsh draining, but since they returned in 1979, their numbers have been steadily rising. According to a recent survey by the RSPB, 2021 was another record-breaking year for the UK’s tallest bird (2.1m), with numbers now estimated at over 200. Wetland protection and peatland restoration have been pivotal to this recovery. To see these elegant birds, visit the Great Fen in Cambridgeshire or Hickling Broad in Norfolk.
Listen: Canal & River Trust podcast
Centred around sustainability and wellbeing, the Canal & River Trust’s new podcast, CanalCast, explores how the nation’s 2,000 miles of former industrial canals play a vital role as a ‘back garden’ for millions of people. Host Louis Howell talks to ecologists, youth workers and boaters, learning about the valuable work that is being done and how the public can get involved. canalrivertrust.org.uk
Wise buys
PERFECT MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS
BLUNT UMBRELLAS
Prepare mum for April showers with a luxury compact umbrella from Blunt. A range of styles, available in a variety of colours and patterns; £59.99–£109.99. bluntumbrellas.co.uk
WOOL & WAX EDITION PICNIC BLANKET
Made in the UK and with a waxed organic cotton waterproof backing, this portable, indulgent wool blanket is perfect for a Mother’s Day picnic; £275. heating-and-plumbing.com
SMALL KINDS SOAP, SET OF THREE
A trio of small soap bars handmade in the Stroud Valleys using a traditional coldprocessed method. Fragrances include rose geranium, calendula and spiced apple; £10. nationaltrust.org.uk
GROW YOUR OWN VEG BOX
Team up with mum this spring and grow your own tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes and red onions, ready for summer harvests; £10. nationaltrust.org.uk
On the plot
Jobs for the garden with Rekha Mistry
As the April showers fall, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that May will arrive with an explosion of colourful flowers. From now, it’s all systems go! The cold frame and greenhouse are bursting at the seams with full seedling trays waiting their turn to be planted out. Frost is still likely, so every night this month I’ll cover the tender seedlings that are already in the ground with fleece.
As the greenhouse empties, but before aubergine and pepper plants move in, it will get a thorough clean and wash down. Water butts that sat idle over winter will get disinfected too, as standing water can carry disease.
I have noticed that my outdoor task list is getting longer. I need to work compost and leaf mould into trenches before planting seed potatoes. Next, harden o leek and onion seedlings prior to planting and, before buds break, prune the fig tree. Although it’s now late to plant out bare-root fruit shrubs, homegrown soft fruit can still be had this summer if nursery-raised container fruits are settled in the ground this month.
Like the honeybees, poised with a task, I’m focused but buzzing with excitement. It feels fabulous to be working outdoors in the spring sunshine again.
Rekha Mistry is a garden writer and recipe developer. Discover more kitchen-garden inspiration at rekhagardenkitchen.com
90th anniversary
ELISABETH SCOTT: BUILDING A LEGACY
In 1928, two years after a fire destroyed the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford, architect Elisabeth Scott won an international competition to design a new one. “Girl Architect Beats Men” wrote one journalist in response to what was to become the first important public building in Britain to be designed by a female architect. The New Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, with its proscenium-arch stage, three tiers and a seating capacity of 1,400 people, opened on 23 April 1932. The theatre, now a Grade II-listed building, has undergone several changes since the opening production of Henry IV, including a new name (Royal Shakespeare Theatre) and a major renovation, from 2007–2010. To find out what’s on, visit rsc.org.uk
Countryfile on TV
BBC One, Sundays at 7pm
13 March and on iPlayer
To mark National Pie Week, Countryfile is in Melton Mowbray, the ‘rural capital of food’, home of the pork pie and Stilton cheese. Each year, the town hosts the British Pie Awards, where established pie makers and keen new contenders battle it out to see their o ering crowned Pie of Pies. While enjoying the awards’ delicious fare, Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor investigate the town’s gastronomic history, from Chaucer to Beau Brummell, and explore the surrounding North Leicestershire countryside.
ID guide
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Five species of pigeon can be found in the UK countryside – three common, two extremely rare. Will you spot them in 2022?
TURTLE DOVE
Our smallest dove has gorgeous tortoiseshell feathering on its back and wings; its purring call is a delight. This migrant arrives on farmland in late spring but the UK population has dropped by 95% since 1970.
COLLARED DOVE
Pale, pinkish grey with a black neck stripe, this small dove of farms, woods, gardens and parks was first recorded in the UK in the 1950s but is now very common. Its call resembles “un-i-ted, un-i-ted”.
WOOD PIGEON
Our largest pigeon has a mauve chest, white nape and white wing patches that help identify the bird in flight. Very common in gardens, parks, woods and farmland. Its call has been described as “take two cows Tay”.
ROCK DOVE
The wild ancestor of domestic pigeons and thus the ‘town pigeon’. Pure rock doves are rare and, in the British Isles, now found only on the coasts of north and west Scotland and Ireland where they nest on cliffs.
STOCK DOVE
This bird of wooded farmland has similar plumage to the wild rock dove but with a jet-black eye. It lacks the wood pigeon’s white feathers. Has a delicious insistent brooding call. Numbers have declined recently.
From the bookshelf
NATURE POETRY
Great poetry can capture mood, movement and beauty in a way few other art forms can. Here are four collections to elevate your day.
POETRY PLEASE: THE SEASONS
BBC Books
Taken from the Radio 4 poetry programme, this anthology celebrates the landscapes and atmospheres of the seasons in verse.
POEMS ON NATURE
Introduced by Helen Macdonald
Mining a rich tradition of songs and rhymes, this collection explores how poets from Emily Brontë to WB Yeats use verse to describe our relationship with the natural world.
THE LOST WORDS
by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Nature writer Macfarlane’s collection of ‘spells’, illustrated by Morris, conjures nature words to kindle a love of the wild in every reader.
THE POETRY OF BIRDS
Edited by Tim Dee and Simon Armitage
The finest collection of bird poems as gathered by a great nature writer (Dee) and the Poet Laureate (Armitage).
A Taste of April
BRITISH ASPARAGUS AND CHIVE TART
April and asparagus can’t come soon enough. British spears are hand-harvested and a plentiful crop is reliant on a cool, crisp early spring. Asparagus steamed with butter is delicious, but midway through the growing season, I like to make a tart.
INGREDIENTS
• 400g shortcrust pastry
• 4 eggs
• 300ml double cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 15 asparagus spears, approximately, trimmed
• Small bunch of chives, finely chopped
• Chive flowers, if you have them, to decorate
METHOD
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC and put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil.
2. Lightly flour the work surface then roll out the pastry (3–5mm thick) to fit a 26cm tart tin. Leave the edges of the pastry bigger than the tin, as it will shrink during cooking. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and line with greaseproof paper then fill with baking beans and blind-bake at 180ºC for 15–20 mins.
3. While the pastry case is cooking, whisk three eggs in a jug with the cream and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then put to one side.
4. Remove the greaseproof and baking beans from the tart case and continue cooking for 10 mins, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven.
5. Beat the remaining egg and brush the pastry all over to seal. Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry flush with the sides of the tin. Reduce oven to 170ºC.
6. Boil the asparagus spears in well-salted water for around two mins until just tender. Once cooked, remove and plunge into cold water, then drain well.
7. Arrange the cooked spears on the tart and carefully pour the filling into the pastry case to fill. Bake in the oven for around 20–25 mins, until the filling is just set, still with a slight wobble in the very centre. It will firm up as the tart cools. Serve just warm and scatter with the chopped chives and flowers.