Now to mine…..

10 fresh chillies

50g root ginger, peeled

2tsp tumeric

6tsp cumin seeds

300ml olive oil – this can be cut down a little in future if you find it a bit oily

10 garlic cloves, peeled

225g white sugar

2 tsps salt

300ml malt vinegar

1.8kg skinned & chopped tomatoes

Put ginger, chillies & garlic in a processor & process until finely chopped. Combine this and all other ingredients in a heavy based pan & cook down slowly until thickened. You can run a hand blender through it to produce more of a sauce type texture. This is not a long keeper due to the small amount of vinegar so don’t make loads at once.

1kg Dark skinned plums, stoned & cut into quarters

4 Onions, skinned & finely chopped

300ml Malt vinegar

340g Demerara or soft brown sugar

12 Crushed peppercorns

2 Red chillies, finely chopped. Deseeded if you do not like it too hot

6 Cloves

2 tsp Sea salt

1 tsp Mixed Spice

Put all ingredients into a preserving pan & bring to a simmer. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Simmer until thickened. Dependant on variety this can take from 90-120 minutes. Pot & seal. Mature for 3 months before eating

2.25kg Cooking Apples, peeled & roughly chopped

2 oranges

900g Granulated Sugar

275g Raisins

1/2 tsp ground cloves

100ml White Wine Vinegar

125g Flaked Almonds, optional

Chop the whole oranges into quarters, remove any visible pips & blitz in a food processor until smooth. Place orange puree, sugar, vinegar, cloves & raisins in a preserving pan & place on a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved to liquid add the apples & increase the heat to a simmer.        Stir frequently until the apples have disintegrated to a pulp. Add almonds if required. Cook for 5 minutes & then pot, seal & label. Can be eaten immediately

1.5kg Cooking Apples, chopped into small pieces but not peeled or cored

500g Blackcurrants

Granulated Sugar – 450g to 450g of pulp produced

Water

Place the apples & blackcurrants into a pan & just cover with water. Bring to the boil & simmer until tender & pulpy. Sieve the pulp into bowl through a nylon sieve. Weigh the pulp & transfer to a saucepan. Add equal amount of sugar as the weight of pulp, e.g. 450g pulp = 450g sugar. Dissolve the sugar over a low heat stiring gently to prevent burning. The liquid will thicken so that when you draw the spoon accross the base of the pan a clean line will be formed. Pot in to sterilised jars. Great with game, ham or cheese.

3 Seasonal Tipples!

Use supermarket/low cost spirit & ripe fruit.

450g Raspberries

225g Granulated sugar

600ml Gin

Use supermarket/low cost spirit & ripe fruit.450g Blackberries225g Granulated sugar600ml Vodka

Use supermarket/low cost spirit & ripe fruit.

600g Dark cherries, stoned

100g Granulated sugar

1 Cinnamon stick

600ml Brandy

One of the great things about Lincolnshire is the wonderful array of great fruit & vegetables available. This recipe, which I found in the New Covent Garden Soup book, makes the most of the delicious sweet parsnips available after the first frosts. Light & delicate it is quite irresistible.

3 Leeks, roughly chopped

450g Parsnips, peeled & chopped

1 Bay Leaf

1 Lemon, grated rind & half of its juice

1 ltr Vegetable Stock

either milk or single cream to thin

1 tbsp Poppyseeds (optional)

Put the leeks, parsnips, stock & bayleaf in a large saucepan and cook until tender. Remove bayleaf. Blitz in a blender or with a hand blender until a smooth puree formed. Thin this puree until desired consistency with either milk or single cream (you can use more stock however you will not get the smooth silky taste). Add lemon rind & juice & season to taste. Reheat, but as with all soups do not boil. Add poppyseeds if using and serve

Heat 300ml of  double cream in a sauce pan with a knob of butter. Let it simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to taste. Then try adding:

·         garlic & roasted mushrooms

·         shredded left over roast beef, black pepper & a splash of brandy or bourbon

·         shredded left over roast pork, cooked mushrooms & peppers

·         mixed cooked seafood

·         cooked chicken & tarragon

·         cooked chicken & wholegrain mustard

·         tuna & capers, with a little chopped parsley

Whilst not to be a regular sauce it is great for a special occasion or when friends drop in for supper.

Rhubarb Chutney – Ideal for the woodier stems in the garden, don’ waste the delicate flavours of new season rhubarb to the mercy of vinegar!!!!!

900g Rhubarb chopped into 2 inch pieces

450g Onions chopped

100g Dates stoned & chopped

100g Sultanas

300ml Malt Vinegar

300ml Water

450g Light Soft Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Salt

2 inches Root Ginger finely chopped

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 cloves Garlic crushed

Combine all ingredients in a heavy based pan, simmer gently stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until thick with no excess liquid. Sterilize jars and spoon in the chutney. Seal & label immediately. Store in a cool dark place for 3 months to mature.

Great with cheese, game pies & pork pies!

2 tablespoons of Rum & Raisin Marmalade

12 medium slices of Plum Bread

2oz Butter, softened

10fl oz milk

2 oz Double cream

3 Eggs, beaten

3oz sugar + extra for dusting

Port Soaked Raisins – optional

Preheat oven to Gas 4, 350/180. Grease oven proof dish. Butter one side of each of the 12 slices of plum bread. On 6 of the slices spread Rum & Raisin Marmalade.       Sandwich together so that you have 6 ‘sandwiches’ with butter on the outside. Cut into triangles. Layer in the greased dish so that they are standing virtually upright & overlapping. Whisk together milk, cream, eggs & sugar and pour over the pudding.          Sprinkle with extra sugar and port soaked raisins if desired. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden & puffy. Serve hot.

Mango Salsa Recipe – Great with slow roasted Redhill Pork for a light Sunday Lunch .

Mixed together 1 chopped Mango, 3 chopped Spring Onions, a hand full of Cherry Tomatoes quartered, half a cucumber diced, a small red chilli finely chopped& a tablespoon of chopped mint. Combine in a separate bowl  the juice of a lime, a tablespoon of olive oil & a pinch of salt.  Whisk & pour over the salsa. Pop in the fridge for half an hour to chill. Cooked Bulgar Wheat also makes a tasty addition.