Preserves
PERSIMMON JAM
The preserve that Beryl missed
When presented with a few persimmons recently, I decided that in addition to enjoying the fresh fruit it was worthy of moving on and making these fruits into a preserve. I flipped through Let’s Preserve It looking for a recipe for jam or chutney. However I was to discover that persimmons were obviously not to be…
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SPEEDY MARMALADE and DUNDEE
Dundee’s story of discovering marmalade
After the festivities of Christmas and the NewYear are over and the kitchen has some semblance of normality, Seville oranges arrive and with them the great marmalade making season. I wanted to make a good batch last week and still manage to deliver a jar to Fortnum and Masons. They nobly collect any entries and send the…
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THE BEST ESSENTIAL TOMATO CHUTNEY
When the cupboard is bare
I have been somewhat idle this summer and for various reasons have glossed over the abundance of fruits and vegetables growing in gardens or displayed on stalls. However, recently I was offered a bag of mixed eaters and cookers apples and I pondered on how best to use them. Whether to make an all apple…
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GREEN THOUGHTS FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY
An Irish Moment
Happy St Patrick’s Day My stomach often cries out to me ‘I just want something green’ and whether it comes as a preserve or as a fresh adjunct on a plate, there is a huge array of green foods from which to choose. Green foods somehow radiate health, often fresh and with nutritious and wholesome…
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LATE CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVERS
A quieter Christmas with my new hip
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas I have been planning this Christmas for some time – ever since I was offered a date for a new replacement hip in early December and realised that I would be a tad out of action in the kitchen. And a new hip is a wonderful Christmas present….
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HULLING STRAWBERRIES – A DAUGHTER’S TIP
How did I manage before!
A few years ago, my younger daughter, Olivia, spent the Wimbledon fortnight hulling and counting out strawberries while working in the members’ restaurant the All England Lawn Tennis Club. In fact I think her job included a few more jobs besides. There she discovered and passed on a really great tip for hulling strawberries. Hulling strawberries using a…
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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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LABELLING YOUR PRESERVES
Buying labels - the easiest option
Do you have an in-house fourteen year old? Leaving aside the moods and slammed doors and weird clothes, there are times when having a techno savvy teenager around the house can be very useful. Installing apps on your computer, organising the privacy settings on your facebook page or just explaining instagram, for example, is all in a day’s fun…
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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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