Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake... and update

28 July 2025 (Monday)

Well, it's true to say that it's been rather a long time since I've written a piece for A Guernsey Gardener in 2025… and while I’m mentioning the title, I think I'm going to change it to A Guernsey Gardener at some point, as it seems to fit better.

I think it's fair to say that the death of Big Ginge rather took the wind out of my sails. It came at a time when there were a lot of anniversaries of various kinds, some of people dying and one of me being a year older.

I tend not to dwell on anniversaries of people who have died. I'm simply not one of those who says on social media posts, or in fact in my head “Happy Birthday to mum who would have been X years old today” or “Happy Birthday to 'dad' or 'Perri' who would be Y years old today”. These types of posts and thoughts are of course absolutely fine for those people who feel the need for them, though it's just not something that I've ever felt I needed to do. I think I tend to now see the passing of days and weeks and years and lives as part of the process that we all go through, and whilst some periods in our lives are extremely painful and break our heart, it's really about accepting this as part of the process, and that it balances out the days where time is joyous and smiles bring about much laughter - it works for me, at least. 

My intention when I started this blog was to see if I could write something every day, and in that matter I think I’ve found out that I can. And of course, as is often the case with finding out that you can do something, there are also times when you realise that you might not want to do something or just can't do it, and that's fine too.

Somewhat sadly, we live in a world that’s now very much about us all getting things done, and filling our time, in most cases to overcrowding; all mainly for work, and business, and the economy and global trade.  However, we have to appreciate that sometimes we simply need time out and when I mean time out I don't just mean taking a break.  In taking 'time out' I literally mean taking time out from doing and being the thing or things that are what you might think you need to do and be, when in fact you need to do something entirely different, whether that be reading a book, walking in the countryside, or simply sitting alone and mulling your life and how it fits in with that of your family or household, the lives of your friends, your local community, commerce, society, and the global engine. 

In some ways, with Big Ginge, I was forced to think about certain things that are not normally at the front of my mind. And that was fine, and today it's also fine to move on from these things knowing that they're all still there, whilst also knowing that it's time for me to take that step forward... whether that step be in writing, sowing carrot seeds, doing tomato cares, watching TV, cooking in the kitchen whilst listening to something from BBC Sounds… or just contemplating my naval which I've not given any real focus to for some years!

So today I’m taking that step, whatever it might be... and I guess that first step is writing words again, as  I have now just done.

Since I last wrote a piece here, life has continued in very much the same vein as it always does at this time of year. There's been an awful lot of time at the allotment, looking after tomatoes and tying them in, weeding beds of annual and perennial weeds which seem to have inundated groiwng spaces following recent rains, watering, watering and watering - though at least there were those few days of respite when the clouds gave out their all.  There's also been a lot of mulling of what needs to be done, and a good bit of tidying around. Oh, and a Bung-It-In day too!!

There's still much tidying to do at the plot, and I can do it bit by bit, though at the top of the plot by the poly tunnel I really need AND want to get on and strim and take back control of that area as long grasses and items I've got 'stored' there are really beginning to get to me.

And of course, as much of our life is now, there's been an awful lot of vlogging going on; Sunday Chat, A Week of the Plot and all of the vlogs and recipe segments that Richard does. And we've certainly had a whole host of fabulous recipes going on including:

  Courgette / Zucchini and Potato Patties

  Courgette / Zucchini Layer Bake

  Quick Fruit Compote Peach & Nectarine​

  Cookery Experiment Failure!!! Courgette/Zucchini Bran and Banana Loaf

  Warm Pasta Salad with toasted Orzo, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, baby artichokes.

One of my recipes which I’ve really enjoyed is a Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake. The recipe’s below and it really did work well: hot from the oven on the day I made it, cold with salad the following day, and then reheated a few days later. I think it's something that would work well in a sandwich too, maybe with a little mayo and some lettuce and slices of tomato.

Anyway, as I take that step forward I've also been thinking about that intention of mine to write every day, and that I have achieved this over the past six months. I’ve now realised that with writing there are various facets to what I do, and maybe I've been concentrating a little too much on writing my blogs and a little too little - or rather not at all in some weeks - on writing creatively.  I'm going to try and get this balance back to an equilibrium that fits with me.  In this I mean the blogs will continue, though likely not written daily - they may even stretch one or two or more days - and a little more on my creative writing, which I have been missing.  Of course, some of this writing I might be able to share, though whatever I do I hope you’ll find it interesting.  starting with this segment of A Guernsey Gardener!

So basically, it's time for me to move forward, and take the next steps, and maybe we'll chatter a little bit more about that in the coming days or weeks. In the meantime, here’s that really delicious Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake that I really do suggest you try.

Cheezy Courgette & Lentil Bake

Ingredients
200g of dry red lentils
500ml water
Mixed herbs

1 red pepper, chunky chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large or two medium courgette, grated

4 rounded tbs yeast flakes
5 rounded tbs gram flour
1tbs bouillon powder, stock cubes or 2 tsp salt
black pepper to season

Instructions
Preheat oven to 180c
Rinse in lentils in a sieve under a running cold tap until the draining water is virtually clear - this will remove detritus and excess starch.  Now add the lentils, water and mixed herbs to a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are almost cooked through.

In a frying pan gently cook the pepper, onion and garlic in the oil for about five minutes. Add the grated courgette, bring back to a low frying temperature and cook for a further five minutes, stirring regularly.

Combine all the prepared mixtures in a bowl, leave to cool for ten minutes then add the yeast flakes, gram flour, bouillon powder and a good few turns of ground black pepper, stir well until all is combined, this will take no less than 30 seconds, maybe even a minute or so.

Add some oil to a baking dish which will allow the mixture to be no more than two inches deep; I used a 18cm round Pyrex.  Add the mixture to the dish, spreading it out evenly.  

Bake in the preheated oven for thirty minutes.

This dish can be eaten straight from the oven, cut into slices, cold (again sliced) or reheated in a microwave or oven, though if reheating, remove portions from the fridge a good few hours before.

I have not frozen this though see no reason why it would not work well.  


Weather:  Overcast, though humid and muggy… around 24°.

Breakfast:  All Bran, oat milk, banana
Lunch:   Yellow Courgette & Lentil Soup, Egg Mayonnaise, Sesame Crackers (Lidl), tomato and cucumber
Supper:   To come…

​