Listening to the fireworks and thinking about butternut squash soup, I suddenly realised I’ve only eaten 3 courgettes this year.

That’s not because I don’t like them - I really do. There just don’t seem to have been any!

This time last year I had a freezer full of courgette soup (ask me if you’d like the recipe; it’s lovely, honest!) and was glad to have a break from them. But this year, I feel in need of more.

Our next door neighbour is a superstar and has an allotment or two, which he keeps beautifully. And it’s common for me to arrive home to find a bag of courgettes at the front door - all shapes, sizes and colours. But this year it hasn’t happened - not once. I did wonder whether the arrival of another noisy baby had finally tipped the scales of neighbourly love…

… But if you take a meander around the allotments, it’s clear to see what’s up. The first frosts struck when the courgettes were still pencil-sized. The harvest didn’t happen.

What’s going on?

Is this just a Cirencester thing or is anyone else missing their courgettes this year?!?