Okay so I was one of those people who thought vegetables were a little side dish to go with a nice steak or chop. Certainly, not a “proper” part of a meal, but to be tolerated in small amounts in an attempt to kid myself I was eating healthily and getting my “five a day”. I was also THE takeaway queen – my kitchen drawer stuffed with menus from all sorts of food outlets all offering home delivery within an hour – bliss!! Or maybe not. I didn't feel well most of the time – nothing serious just bloated and sluggish, out of sorts. Then, following a relocation to a little country village one of my new neighbours presented me with a huge bag of tomatoes & peppers they had grown. I had no idea, that day, how this neighbourly gesture would change my whole way of life!

I tasted one of these fresh, organic tomatoes .....and guess what - it was amazing! I didn't realise tomatoes could taste that good. Sliced up with a little drizzle of olive oil and a chunk of fresh bread I ate the best lunch I had tasted for a long time. This inspired me and that night I dusted off my wok and made a stir fry using the peppers and tomatoes, wow, better than any readymade meal I could have bought. This was just the wakeup call I needed. I discovered that healthy food did not mean boring food, it was delicious – fresh flavours that I had simply forgotten about.

Since then my whole philosophy on food has changed. I only buy fresh fruit and vegetables that are locally grown -or those I manage to blag from my neighbours! This means that the food I am eating is really fresh – not something that has been chemically enhanced and stored in warehouses for months, and guess what, it tastes so good. Fresh garlic, chillies to add a bit of spice, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, courgettes and even cabbage (baked in the oven with plenty of paprika) tastes terrific. Hey, I have even boiled and pickled fresh beetroot – this may not seem a momentous occasion to you, but it was truly a revelation to me to find out that beetroot did not only come in jars ready to eat! Oh, and have I mentioned parsnips, par boiled and roasted with a drizzle of honey, the list is really endless.

Added to my conversion from vegetable avoider to vegetable lover I have also discovered that by adding fresh herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary and basil I can create real taste sensations! I would truly recommend that everyone tries growing their own little herb garden. No excuses - we can all have a go, you don't need much land, they can even be grown in pots on a patio or on the kitchen window sill, they don't cost a lot and the benefits are huge. Have you ever smelled the aroma from a herb garden....mmmm...the fresh, sweet smell lingers in the air – just perfect on a summers evening. And...the taste is something else, just does not compare to the little pots of dried herbs – truly in a different league.

I hope I have tempted you into trying some real, organic vegetables. Next year I may even try planting some myself. I'll let you know how I get on!