A year ago today we opened our doors to the public. It seems like only yesterday, but what a year! Highlights have included Alan Titchmarsh in conversation with Beth Chatto, the Jardin Plume Journal, 100 more Friends joining, building the Magazine Space and creating a new-look shop, the best Spring Plant Fair ever with over 800 people attending, an amazing autumn events programme with almost every event selling out, a symposium in the snow, delivering gardening starter kits to all the primary schools in Lambeth, our volunteers being as wonderful as ever, creating the post of Horticultural Intern, three inspiring exhibitions and a new sound system.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped to make all this (and more) happen and to all those who have supported us during the past year. May we continue and prosper.

On Tuesday the Staff Gardeners were out in force planting a row of small apple trees in the border between The Allotment and Lambeth High Street; each is a different Old English Variety in order to add interest and to extend the season.

Holes were dug, boots got muddy, fun was had and leafy beauties were given new homes. May they grow strong and be (literally) fruitful.

Janine has been teaching younger members of those families visiting at the weekends to make delicious winter treats to warm the proverbial cockles.

Janine hasn’t actually been warming cockles (they being proverbial), but rather cooking apple crumble, using the new Education Space facilities.

Here is Luca, the Director’s son, happily making crumble mixture.

Here are the Museum’s latest acquisitions purchased with funds from sale of the Director’s feral fruit-loot.  

Last week, Janine ran a half-term pumpkin drawing competition.

Three Museum volunteers judged the competition: Mei, Sophie and Janet.  The winner was Maddie, pictured with Sophie and Janet and her winning entry and prize (a kit for growing peas and a carrot badge!).

Well done Maddie!

The Museum has just had its silk banner restored and this will go on display from 7 December.

The banner is a Free Gardeners’ silk banner c.1820 and shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

It is the gift of Richard Moon and has been conserved with a grant from the Stuart Heath Charitable Trust and a donation from Miss Anne Burt. The Museum is very grateful both to the Trust and to Miss Burt.

Last night Trustee Giles Waterfield and his brother William gave an inspiring lecture about Le Clos du Peyronnet, their family home in the south of France. The garden was begun by their grandfather in 1915 and inspired Giles’ classic novel The Long Afternoon.

The evening was a glittering, sold-out success and guests enjoyed avocados from the garden.

Hurrah! The chickens are back! Al went to collect them from Vauxhall City Farm this afternoon and returned with them in a bicycle-mounted cat basket – offsetting the Museum’s carbon footprint by some margin. Here they are being examined by Skye, our Chef, and then happily ensconced in their new home.

The Retail Department has produced a wonderful Allotment Journal to reflect our new exhibition, ‘The Good Life’.  Full of striking images taken from the exhibition, the journal is a great place to record your allotment plans, stock rotations, seed sowing schedules and notes on successes!  Split by month, the journal can be used for many years to compare each year’s progress with the last.

A perfect Christmas present for those who love to grow their own!  Great value for just £10.

Available from the Garden Museum shop or by mail order – contact sophieb@gardenmuseum.org.uk.

The Garden Café will be launching its autumn and winter menu next week. Prepare your tastebuds now for: 

• Pumpkin and cannellini with halloumi
• Indian spiced cauliflower and coconut
• Moroccan chickpea and fruit tagine
• Mushroom and sweet chestnut stroganoff
• Broccoli and stilton quiche