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Recipes

AUBERGINE – a versatile food

And a rich aubergine and pepper chutney

 Aubergine – A food by many names What a a profusion of  names have been given to this beautiful and shiny food. It is known as the aubergine in Europe, eggplant in the USA and Australia and the Anglo Indian name of Brinjal is also used by South Africans,  Asians  and West Indians. Other names for the…
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THE HORSERADISH DILEMMA – TO PRESERVE OR NOT TO PRESERVE

A Shakespeare moment

I am just having a Shakespeare moment. I love horseradish. It seems you either love it or loathe it. I am a marmite person too. So I was rather disappointed to find that my aunt barely mentions this fulsome root vegetable in Let’s Preserve It. Dried horseradish, horseradish and beetroot relish and horseradish and tomato…
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FUN FOODS for the young in the Easter holidays

Adding preserves for the young

Easter is nearly upon us and with it all the fare of Hot cross buns and Simnel cake and Roast Lamb and not to mention Easter Eggs Beyond these traditional Easter foods there are a whole range of favourite fun foods and platters – with or without preserves -that children can not only enjoy in the holidays and…
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PICCALILLI – A PICKLE TO YOUR SPICE UP YOUR SANDWICH

The English interpretation of Indian Pickle

We must thank Elizabeth Raffald (the Mary Berry of the mid 18th century) for introducing the term Piccalilli to the English in 1769 and for including a recipe for this Indian pickle or Piccalillo in her book The Experienced English Housekeeper. Now is the Piccalilli making time of year and here is one of the preserves that must be…
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MARMALADE – FOR BREAKFAST AND BEYOND

Nineteen ways to use your marmalade

It is that time of year when Seville oranges arrive on the stalls. I still aspire make a trip one winter to the orange groves of Spain and the renowned Ave Maria Seville orange farm For now, the time has come to transform these fruits into that wonderful tart and bitter golden preserve. Marmalade has many more uses, however, than just…
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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL WITH LAST MINUTE LEMON PICKLE AND STUFFING

With lemon pickle and fruit and herb stuffing

With a few days to Christmas, chefs are adding  their final tips for seasonal cooking. Nigella – and thank goodness she is back, well she is on my television at least, with all the finger licking – has given us all turkey in brine.  I must think about that next year. Jamie Oliver has come up with his…
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MINCEMEAT SOUFFLE – PLAYING AROUND IN THE KITCHEN AGAIN

A kick start to my Christmas preparations

I realised I had been dragging my heels a tad in starting to prepare preserves and fare for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the coming months. Well  I have been a little busy and  it is only the beginning of November after all. Then a few days ago I was brought up short when someone mentioned that…
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APPLE CHEESE and THE  PECTIN POWER FRUIT

How to preserve and enjoy apples through the winter

If asked to choose ONE food that I could not live without, it would be a very close call between an apple and cheese. That is not to say that I am planning on living on solely one food. It is just that without that one food I would be devastated, lost, mourning . And the apple wins….
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FLAVOURED VINEGARS and that end of summer feeling

Fruit, herb vinegars and spirit infusions

I do  enjoy that end of summer feeling. Amongst other things, I have just been gathering in some surplus herbs for a supply of dried herbs through the winter and wow what a surplus this year. I now have herbs hanging up in every dark corner of the house. Dried herbs  It is also a perfect…
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BRIGHT AND JOLLY TOMATO – FRUIT OR VEGETABLE

The All Singing All Dancing Preserve

I have tomato plant is just outside my kitchen door. This is not so much for the fruit as for the wonderful waft from the foliage that hits me every time I saunter out. No matter that I only have a few green tomatoes on my plant, this year! A FRUIT Yes, indeed it is a…
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