A Very Special Offer from Seeds of Italy

^{Image © Cristian Barnett courtesy Gardens Illustrated}

Ask any good cook where great food begins and the answer is always the same - with the best ingredients. And nothing beats an ingredient you have grown yourself. The tomato still warm from the vine, the spinach cut fresh that morning, the beans podded straight into the pot - these are flavours that speak of the seasons, of patience and of care.

At Delia Online we believe the best cooking begins well before you reach the stove which is why we've teamed up with Seeds of Italy - the UK's foremost authority on heritage and Italian seed varieties - to bring you a seed to plate journey that will save you money, nourish your family and transform the way you cook.

We are delighted to introduce Paolo Arrigo - the passionate foodie and expert grower behind Seeds of Italy and the much-loved Franchi Seeds range, and a proud multiple RHS medal winner. Paolo is the person we turn to for trusted growing advice from seed to plate, and below he shares his expertise on five wonderful varieties of seasonal produce to sow right now. Better still, he has put together an exclusive seed-to-plate bundle just for Delia Online members, bringing all five varieties together in one beautifully curated collection. As Paolo himself says: 

"This lovely concise mix of regional and useful varieties will be welcome in any allotment or vegetable plot" - and it's yours for just £12.50 including P&P, a saving of £4.44.

To take advantage of this exclusive offer for Delia Online members, head over to Seeds of Italy to make your purchase.

Batavia Lettuce
An elegant French variety, late with a large, closed head and rounded, ample crunchy leaves with red lacing. It is similar to a traditional Iceberg lettuce but more rustic and not to be confused with the mass produced Icebergs found everywhere these days, the Batavia is of good quality and wonderful for a Caesar or a Nicoise all summer and into the autumn and indeed, can be sown from March till July.

Tomato Rio Grande
Semi Plum Tomato Rio Grande is a particularly useful variety; determinate and compact, growing no higher than knee height, it's juicy enough to eat fresh, meaty enough to cook with, thin-skinned and very few seeds inside the fruit. Easy to grow in the ground, on a sunny balcony or in a container, it makes a wonderful addition to any kitchen garden and is the ultimate taste of summer.

Spinach Andhalu
You can sow iron-rich spinach in spring AND in autumn, harvesting in summer AND again in winter. Freeze any cooked spinach for use later in the year. Avoid summer sowing as it will bolt and go to seed. Full of iron, vitamins and minerals, it's super easy to grow at home — and the quality is incomparably better than the supermarket baby leaf variety, which is mechanically harvested, chlorine-washed and sealed in argon gas.

Borlotto Bean of Saluggia
Borlotti are shelling beans that can be frozen, dried or bottled for the winter months. Ideal in stews and soups, they are filling and totally flavoursome and ideal during a crisis when shelves are empty. Sow the whole packet in spring when the weather is warmer so you have more than you can eat fresh, then preserve them. Freeze in portions and if drying, make sure they have been dried for long enough before putting them away or risk mouldy borlotti ! We’ve all done it…

Pumpkin Moscade of Provence
Spring-sown pumpkins are harvested from late summer through to autumn — Halloween being the classic moment — and will store somewhere cool, dark and airy for much of the winter. Starchy, sweet and wonderfully versatile, they can be roasted, made into soup or used in dishes like sweet Parmesan and pumpkin ravioli — what the Italians would call Cucina Povera, simple recipes using very few but the very best ingredients. A warming and rustic addition to any winter table.