I absolutely love the turn of the season when the hedgerows start to go wild and there is fruit everywhere. Not just blackberries but sloes, elderberries, hawthorn, rosehips and crab apples, amongst other things. I spend a lot of my… Read More ›
Jam making and Preserves
Rhubarb Jam
I have been making jam for the past few years and I have tried several times, without success, to make rhubarb jam. Instead of a lovely soft jam, I end up with a sort of burnt rhubarb “toffee”. I hate… Read More ›
Boxing Day Chutney – no need to save it until Christmas, you can eat this straight away
I make quite a lot of chutney but tend to give most of it away rather than eat much of it ourselves. This one, however, we will be eating a lot of as well as giving away. I found the… Read More ›
Apple Chutney – a good way to use up some of your apples
I have been given a lot of apples recently and we have been very studiously working our way through crumbles and apple cake. I have very limited freezer space or I would chop more up to keep in the freezer… Read More ›
Crab Apple and Rosemary Jelly
If you start looking for crab apples in the Autumn, you will be amazed at how many you will find. A couple of years ago my friend Gilly gave me a large bag of pink crab apples from her mum’s… Read More ›
Making fruit jellies: Redcurrant and Blackberry Jellies
I haven’t made a lot of jellies in the past for a couple of reasons. Firstly they seemed all a bit too much effort, and secondly I thought it was a waste of good fruit: a lot of it gets… Read More ›
Mini Victoria Sponge cakes with Redcurrant Curd
Unfortunately I can’t claim the credit for the inspiration or for the recipe for redcurrant curd – that honour goes to The Monday Baker: check out her site for some great inspiration! Last year I picked redcurrants and then didn’t… Read More ›
Blackberry Cake Bars
In my memory, blackberry picking always took place in the cold on the windswept downs of the Isle of Wight. So every year I am surprised when blackberries appear in abundance in August. Luckily we have some at the end… Read More ›
Jam Session – tips for making homemade jam
I may have mentioned (just the once or twice) that I love to go fruit picking in the summer. It’s a fun and delicious way to spend a few hours and a great way to make sure the kids get… Read More ›
French Deliciousness (I’m sure that must be a word)
I haven’t done a lot of baking recently: partly due to being away in Brittany and Normandy, in France for a week, and partly because of the heat here in Britain. Our houses are designed to take heat in and… Read More ›
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