Summer nostalgia

27.06.12: A walk along the Ouse. 

There may be dark clouds hanging over Sussex, our roads seem to turn into rivers on a nightly basis and I have despairingly packed my flip-flops away for good, but I do distinctly remember there was a balmy day back in June. Alice and I stopped in at the Anchor at Barcombe Mills, for a quick pint followed by a swim in the Ouse with Archie in tow. 

That stretch of the Ouse is one of the best available ‘wild swimming’ spots (or just ‘swimming’ as I like to call it!) in Sussex.  We made it a mile along the river, which was a good test for a longer swim we’re planning, when, or if the weather improves.

Whilst we dried off we went on a hunt for meadowsweet.  Riverside fields and meadows are ideal territory for meadowsweet, which prefers damp ground.  It’s distinctive ‘candyfloss’ flowers peppered a hedgerow nearby and we were able to harvest a small carrier bag full.  Leaving plenty more for the bees of course-chesneybeeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/meadowsweet.html.

Sadly the sun seems to have abandoned us for the year, but meadowsweet is still prevalent in the meadows, strangely.  I'll be adding are some recipes I tried out with the ‘Queen of the Meadow’ as the main ingredient I hope you enjoy them.