A huge thank you to Brian, the task owner at the Edible Forest for giving us the most learned and fascinating tour of the community orchard and acre of fruit, nuts, shrubs, bushes and veg within natural woodland.

Forget Glasto at home - we had our own boutique little fruit & veg fest...

Karoline, Martel, and Jane were like 3 excited kids out of Enid Blyton - getting to explore with Brian, have a fun biology lesson in propagation and grafting (breeding fruit trees) AND eat our way round! We tried several edible leaves, flowers and berries from white strawberries, to juneberries . And fill our pockets, water bottles and panniers with plums picked by our own fair hand - well mostly Karoline up a ladder - with even an artichoke flower thrown in.

Then to work - nurture the saplings we planted that wintery pitch dark evening with icy torrential rain. They were all doing well, already 1-2 feet tall. Our task was to clear the bad weeks, mainly brambles, from around them to let in the light for future growth. Then to use the surrounding good weed to make a bed around them for protection and nutrients.

Seeing the forest near to full fruit in summer was magical. We hope to fix the next session in a few Thursdays time.... keep an eye out for it.

To stay in touch with the forest, like their Facebook page at 'Kingston Edible Forest'.