As a young man I didn't really have an interest in where my food came from. Sure, my parents had a veggie plot and bought fresh fruit and veg, but I didn't really think about it. As a student and Bachelor I learned to fend for myself, you know the sort of thing we can all prepare; a lasagne, spaghetti bolognese or chicken curry or a pizza from the supermarket. What was fresh veg? Who needed it?
Then as the children came along and our own ideals changed, it dawned on me; what are we feeding our children? Do we want them to grow up thinking our food comes from Asda?
That's when we decided it would be a good idea to try and grow some vegetables at home!
I clearly remember as a child, visiting my grand parents. My grandad was a keen gardener. On our weekly visits "Reg" was always down the garden/in the shed/in the greenhouse. He was very traditional. Born in the 1920's served for his country and lived through a time of genuine austerity. He had a 1930's semi, one with a 100ft back garden and plenty of space. He enthused about potatoes, cabbages, carrots and the like. Perhaps my clearest memory was of the smell of the greenhouse. The distinctive aroma of tomatoes as they ripen on a warm summers day.
That was the task, how to recreate some of that in our modern 25ft square garden? After careful thought we set up some raised beds, some pots and a mini greenhouse. It doesn't take up that much space, there's still a good sized lawn, the arbour in the sunny corner and the trampoline, they co-exist quite happily with the produce. That was three years ago.
Today, we grow a varied array of fruit and veg. In one patch we've got cabbages and leeks, not many, but a few to try and help stretch our food budget a little further. 
In another spot our early crop potatoes are growing well in their pots and more seed potatoes are ready on the window sill.
In our tiny greenhouse potted carrots have sprung to life and tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are just about breaking the compost in their pots.
I'm no gardener, however I'm sure anyone could do what we do. The feeling is very satisfying. The taste is unmistakable and our children know how vegetables grow. Mission accomplished!
Raised beds, veggie marker sticks and soon to have mini greenhouses are all available on our website.
