The Autumn Festival of Country Gardens will be on again soon – first weekend of May 6, 7, and 8 when gardens in Bridgetown are splendid with autumn colours. Here at Rokewood we have a fabulous Glory Vine covering a pergola.

We will have the garden open with a special afternoon treat for Sunday – Mother’s Day.

Visit the web site of the Festival for more information and details of the other gardens.

http://blackwoodcountrygardens.com

Special recipe we enjoyed during the Easter weekend –

Autumnal fruit and almond cake  (a David Herbert cake)

• 185g butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g self-raising flour
• ½ teasp baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsps milk
• 1 teasp vanilla
• 300g fresh or frozen blackberries
• 2 tbsps raw sugar
• 2 tbsps flaked almonds

Heat oven to 180°C. Grease and line base of a 20cm springform or loose-bottom cake tin. Dice butter; place in bowl with caster sugar, flour, baking powder, almonds, eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer for 3-4 minutes, until just combined. Fold in ¾ of the fruit; spoon into tin. Scatter with remaining fruit, raw sugar and almonds. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until firm and a skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Leave in tin for 10 minutes before cooling on a wire rack. Serves 8-10