October sees me getting ready for festive cooking: Christmas cake and mincemeat benefit from being made well in advance for the flavours to work their magic until the festive season. First up to be prepared is mincemeat which I make in the slow cooker. I use grated apples as well as dried fruit and less sugar than shop-bought versions. I love it in porridge too but not until we have had our fill on mince pies!
I make it with: 450-500g cooking apples (cored, peeled and grated), 115g glacé citrus peel, 115g glacé cherries (chopped), 115g dried apricots (chopped), …
If there is a particular recipe that signals the transition into Autumn and the harvest season for us, it has to include apples, despite the abundance of everything else. We like a rustic Dorset Apple Cake for the cinnamon that complements apples so well. It works really well as a warm pudding with hot custard for a real autumnal treat.
I use a recipe from The BBC Good Food website. I heat the oven to 180°C or 160°C for a fan oven and butter and line a deep 20cm cake tin with baking parchment. Then I mix 225g of …
This is good way to use up cucumbers during a glut. A jar goes a long way and its tasty contents spice up a plain sandwich and make the perfect accompaniment to many dishes. This recipe is from Riverford's Guy Watson and it's published on their website.
First, I prepare the cucumbers and onions in advance by slicing them thinly (the recipe is based on 5 cucumbers and 1 kg of onions). Then I layer them with 80 g of cooking salt in a bowl and I weight it all down with a heavy plate for several hours, after …
We love the rhubarb and custard tart I make in the Spring so come summertime I like to do the same with gooseberries. I think it may be a recipe by Delia Smith that I have adapted to suit us.
I make a basic shortcrust pastry: 200 g of plain flour, 100 g of butter and 3 tablespoons of caster sugar mixed to the consistency of breadcrumbs and bound together with a little water. I then roll the pastry out in a greased, loose-based tart dish, pricking it with a fork to avoid air bubbles in the tart.
Gooseberry season is upon us and our three bushes have given us a decent harvest. We have two varieties so some are green and very tart and others are pink and sweeter. I mix them up when I use them.
I top and tail 250 g of gooseberries and put them in a pan with three tablespoons of caster sugar. I heat gently to dissolve the sugar well and simmer until the fruit break down and becomes rather pulpy. I help that by mashing them gently with the back of a fork. Then I leave it to cool completely …
With an abundance of rhubarb at this point in Spring, I like to make batches of cordial to enjoy both now and later in the year. This is the first preserve of the season.
I follow a simple recipe with one kilo of rhubarb but it can be adjusted if you have less. I put 600g of caster sugar in a large saucepan with 600ml water. I bring this to a simmer before adding the zest and juice of two oranges and two lemons then I add 1kg of rhubarb (washed, trimmed and chopped) and a generous slice of …
This is a dessert I make when we have an egg glut as our hens' eggs are rich in taste and colour so really make this dish.
First, I make the caramel in a saucepan with 150 g of caster sugar and 50 ml of water. When this reaches a dark golden colour, I pour it in an oven dish (or small ramekins that can go in the oven).
Then, I turn the oven on to 160 C (or gas mark 3) and pour 1 L of milk in a pan with half a vanilla stick or a …
Another creative use for the courgette glut! This cake is light and moist with an infusion of citrus and spice. I think I first came across it, years ago, in a National Trust cookbook.
First, I grate 200g of courgettes and add in one egg, 140g of caster sugar, 110ml of vegetable oil and the zest of one lemon. In another bowl, I mix 200g of plain flour, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon.
This tasty savoury loaf makes an interesting use of the courgette glut and is perfect to take on summer picnics. The mustard and cayenne pepper gives it a real kick.
I usually make it as a loaf but it works well as individual muffins too, especially the bite size ones that look great on grazing platters.
First, I melt 75g of butter and leave that to cool a little whilst I grate 250g of courgettes. Then, I sift 225g of self-raising flour into a bowl with a little less than 1/4 tsp of salt (we are watching our …
By about now in the summer, we start to get creative with our courgette glut. Here is a recipe for courgette fritters that we like.
Easy to make, with staple ingredients and deliciously crispy, these are filling enough to just be served with a green salad, or a rice salad or with new potatoes. For an extra kick, Peter likes to eat his with a good dollop of our homemade chilli jam.
I grate 2 small or 1 medium courgettes, skin and all. Then I add 2 beaten eggs, 125g of plain flour, 50 ml of milk, 40g …
