Didsbury-Magazine-Jun-Jul-2013

Is it time you ‘lost the plot?’
Five years ago Paul King didn’t know one end of
a vegetable from the other. Today he is an award
winning self-confessed allotment junkie.
In an era when many people are
struggling to make ends meet, Paul
and his vegetarian wife Claire, are
able to feed themselves and their two
young daughters with nutritious
meals made from organic fruit,
vegetables, salad stuff and herbs
they have grown themselves.
Other families struggling through the
recession might think that ‘growing
your own’ is a pipe dream – something
they do on the telly. But Paul,
inspired by his own successes and
failures, has written and illustrated a
superb guide to the good, the bad
and the ugly of starting an allotment
from scratch.
His beautifully illustrated book ‘Lost
the Plot’, with its down to earth
approach to self-sufficiency, has
already grabbed the attention of
experts.
It describes the family’s journey from
taking on – as rank amateurs – a
barren plot with an Amazonian type
jungle to achieving their first harvest.
Paul, a successful graphic designer
who lives and works in Didsbury,
says: ‘I knew nothing at all about
growing when I took on the allotment
– but I liked the war time ideas of
‘Digging for victory’ and ‘Make do
and mend’.
‘It began with a lot of pain, hacking
down bramble thickets and working
through rain, wind and snow. But
now we are almost self-sufficient as
a family. I grow every variety of fruit
you can mention and any vegetable
available. Our two daughters help out
and get fun, activity and lots of fresh
air – and Claire cooks sumptuous
food with the results of our work!’
He is the first to admit that it can be
hard work – but says the rewards are
enormous.
‘Growing your own food gives loads
of satisfaction. You know that your
fruit and vegetables have not
travelled either air or road miles in
packaged conditions to reach the
family table.
It saves a huge amount of money on
the weekly shop, it feels great giving
away goodie boxes to friends and it
educates the little ones along the
way.
‘It is hard work, but the rewards
for those who do persevere are
enormous – and that was the
inspiration for this book’.
The family learned that there is no
right or wrong way to grow your own,
and give an honest insight into the
mistakes they made, the experience
they gained, and the friends (and
prizes!) they won along the way.
It’s a funny and joyous read – so
whether you want to have a go at
growing your own or you would like
a gift for a friend, this is the one for
you.
Lost the Plot
Published by Allotment Junkie
ISBN 978-0-9575812-0-3
£14.99 + P&P