Celia Brooks Brown - This week from the North London "lottie": chocolate mint and African basil herbs and a recipe for strawberry rose milkshake. Before entering the grow-your-own stage of my life about four years ago, I was a religious patron of farmers' markets...

Now I rarely make it more than once a month, if that (though you’ll find me down at Borough Market each and every Friday. Not that my enthusiasm for farmers' markets has waned - they get better all the time – it’s just that I am replete in the fruit and veg department, thanks to my lovingly tended lottie, and that’s the dominant food group in my diet. Farmers' market produce is, without a doubt, the next best thing, especially when received from the hand of the person who grew it and probably plucked, dug or picked that morning. Shame they only happen at weekends. Of course, the farmers are too busy farming during the week! Find your nearest market here.
Last Sunday however, I hit the Islington farmers' market just to catch the vibe. I was thrilled to find a huge plant sale going on just outside, with lots more plant stalls in the market itself. Edible plants are becoming more and more of a feature in most farmer’s markets I’ve been to in the past year or two – and it’s no surprise; after all, growing your own is the new rock ‘n’ roll!..
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