At the moment we are between allotments. We had to give up our first one on what is now the Olympic site, though we are hopeful that we may get it back after 2012, and our new one has had problems with drainage; it was like a paddyfield for a while.

The good thing, though, is that quite a few of the gang from the old allotments have moved to the same place, so we are still with sympathetic people, swapping seeds, produce, advice, and lunch ...

We grow lots of things at home, too, especially chillies, which are great as they last and last; you just keep picking them.

We make lovely sauces and chilli jam, and we dry some of the chillies. We also grow a lot of beans as we use them so much in our cooking; many are varieties from Turkey and Spain — whenever we visit, we come back with unusual seeds.

Three kitchen garden recipes

Paul Merrett cooks stir-fried greens with chorizo and aïoli, plus recipes by Skye Gyngell and Sarah Raven

• Skye Gyngell: roast squab pigeon with slow-cooked borlotti beans, garlic, tomato and sage

• Sarah Raven: beetroot tart with horseradish cream

Sweetcorn fritters with tomato, chilli and herb salsa

• Lemon verbena jellies

Related Links

• Ten easy vegetables to grow at home

We grow purslane and land cress, and of course pumpkins and squash, which we use in this pisto, which is Spanish for ratatouille.

There are many versions, but this one is great with grilled pork chops, chicken or lamb, or as a vegetarian main course with a salad and maybe some yoghurt on the side.

We make it with a mixture of butternut squash, which is a good all-rounder, and iron bark and starchy kabocha squash, so that you have different flavours and textures.

The husband-and-wife team Sam (Samantha) and Sam (Samuel) Clark are the chef-proprietors of Moro (moro.co.uk), famous for its Spanish, North African and Eastern Mediterranean food. Their East London allotment was made famous in their third book, Moro East.

Ingredients

Serves 4

800g peeled and seeded pumpkin or squash (roughly 1.2kg weight before preparation), cut into 2cm chunks

½ tsp fine sea salt 6 tbsp olive oil

1½ large or 3 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1cm chunks

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 bay leaves, preferably fresh

1½ tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, a few grates of nutmeg

½ tsp ground cumin

12 tbsp (180ml) passata

2 tbsp sweet red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon (or use any good-quality red wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar), mixed with 4 tbsp of water

2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Method

1. Toss the pumpkin with the salt and set aside. In a wide saucepan (about 30cm), heat the olive oil over a medium heat, then add the onions with a pinch of salt. Stir well and cook, stirring often, for 15-20 min until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelise.

2. Now add the chopped red pepper, fry for a further 10 min, then follow with the garlic, bay leaves and rosemary.

3. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes, before adding the pumpkin (blotted dry if wet). Reduce the heat and fry for 20 min, until the pumpkin is barely tender, turning it every now and then. Add the oregano or marjoram, nutmeg and cumin, followed by the passata.

4. Cook for 5-10 min, until the pumpkin is completely tender, then sprinkle with the vinegar and water, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve warm, with the toasted pine nuts on top.

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