A stick of Christmas, that's what this Chard reminds me of. The colour at this time of year at the allotment when everything else is muddy brown, covered in old carpet and polythene, bent over and withered by the frost, the colour is so striking. The taste however is something I would rather pass on. It's one of the few things that make me screw up my face and look for somewhere to deposit it. Goat's cheese is about the only other thing that does that to me.

Needless to say this is not my chard, I was just admiring its beauty as I came up to check on my red cabbages and my sssh, secret stash of brussel sprouts. So far I have kept the pigeons and pesky rabbits off them. I have them hidden in a little corner and the outer leaves are doing a grand job of camouflaging the little beauties. Fingers crossed they will make it for another 18 days under cover and we should manage a portion or two to join the turkey.

Freezing cold, slushy mucky yeuk and breath takingly cold air at the allotment today and I was loving every minute of it. Give me clean fresh air to that of stale central heating any day.