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Special Plants Nursery (Chippenham, England)

Our third day was a busy one as we left our first hotel in Bath and traveled to Wells. There were several stops along the way, the first being Special Plants Nursery in Chippenham, England. It was a warm day. The nursery is owned by former Oregonian Derry Watkins, who moved to England decades ago when she married an Englishman. She is a plant collector and has traveled all over the world, her favorite place being South Africa.  That is Derry in the above photos talking to our group. The house and garden are located on a steep hill with idyllic countryside surrounding it. She says the garden was designed by her architect husband and she has filled it with her favorite plants, mostly tender perennials that she has collected from her plant-hunting expeditions. Most of the beds are terraced and many plants are grown in gravel. The garden is also enhanced with some striking ornaments - Lower island beds proceed downhill - A bog garden - At the bottom of the property is a woodland walk....

Chocolate Mousse Cake with Raspberries

 
Here's another winning recipe from the King Arthur Flour folks! Chocolate fans rejoice! 

The recipe showed up on my Instagram feed a few weeks ago and after looking at the photos and reading the reviews, my curiosity was peaked. I printed out the recipe and put it aside. I just made it today and it is an amazing cake.

Making this all at once would be quite time-consuming. I made the cake yesterday and the filling today. I skipped the frosting entirely after reading the reviews. The cake is delicious without the frosting although I'm sure that would elevate it to a new level.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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