Beyond Olia Hercules’ allotment
delicious. team
It took a decade for Olia Hercules to get her green fingers on a London allotment, but it was worth the wait for an (overgrown) patch of green space and the chance to grow her own vegetables, herbs and fruit.
We were lucky enough to be invited along to see the allotment firsthand. Take a long look at the beauty of Olia’s sustainable garden, captured by Elena Heatherwick.
A small greenhouse can be spotted through the bushes and wildflowers.
Olia tends to the plants, in her very green allotment, a look of concentration and care painted on her face.
Olia is proud of her un-manicured allotment, as her produce is thriving. She told us that these patty pan squashes are growing like trees.
Tiny ruby red apples bob in a bucket of water. Some are over ripe, though a few are good enough to eat or to use in a pickle.
A bench has been fashioned out of two tree stumps and two planks of wood. An apple tree hangs overhead. A tranquil spot for reading a book or enjoying a cup of tea.
Tiny ruby red apples bob in water. Some are over ripe, though a few are good enough to eat or to use in a pickle.
Today’s pickings: two small prickly cucumbers, lovage and borage
Olia enjoys a light lunch of beetroot and apple pickle, cheese and bread, in the comfort of her allotment.
Today’s pickings: two small prickly cucumbers, lovage and borage (lovely lilac flowers that taste a like cucumber).
Back in her kitchen, Olia picks some flatleaf parsley for her watercress sauce. This will later be drizzled over a dish of roast parsnips.
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