I turned the final page over in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” this weekend. And I miss everyone already. What a stunning book! I was quite clearly a literary impoverished youth not to have read this in my childhood, but I’m almost grateful, because stepping back into such a delicious stockpile of nostalgia was all the more magical in my grown up shoes. If you haven’t read this book, or reread it lately, and you’ve been on the hunt for one of those super yummy books full of the things that make the world seem like a shiny new place, this is your guy. So, so lovely. It would be ridiculously easy for me to get carried away drawing all kinds of comparisons between growing things and nurturing yourself in the process right about now, but the greater question may be, ‘what did the book encourage me to cook?!

If you’ve read the book, you’ll know how often Mary Lennox gets ‘tea brought to her room’ and I am besotted with that idea. There’s also the lovely little robin red breast that has a starring role in the story. And the fact that Dickon’s gorgeous mother was always baking nutritious treats for the children. Pull all of those tidbits together with a recent 2nd-hand shop find, and you’re stamping out oatcakes with your vintage bird-shaped cookie cutter before you can say, ‘Tea?’

And the flower shot will make sense to those who have ventured into ‘The Secret Garden’ too. I couldn’t help but include a friendly nod to lovely Mother Nature when I noticed the first of the blossom bursting out like popcorn on the almond trees down the road... yummy time of year on all fronts.

Chia Speckled Oatcakes

makes 10-12 biscuits

75g wholemeal plain flour

pinch of sea salt flakes

1/4tsp baking soda

60g organic oats

60g organic rolled spelt flakes

1 tbsp black chia seeds

25g unsalted butter

1/4 cup boiling water (you might need a sneak more)

Pre heat the oven to 180C.

Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, chia seeds, oats and spelt together in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough comes together, you may need to add a little extra water at this stage if you notice the dough is cracking.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out until it’s about 1/2 cm thick. Dip your choice of cookie cutter into some flour and cut out the oatcakes.

These won’t spread when they’re cooking so you can put them quite close together on the baking tray. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until they have a little golden tinge to their beaks and feet, or similar.

Because these are not sweet biscuits they’re actually just as happy on a cheeseboard as they are spread with a little extra organic butter to accompany a pot of tea.