News

When the Wind Turns: Autumn Arrives in the Hedgerows Autumn in the Hedgerows — A New Forest Forager’s Journal Today the wind carried a quiet message: autumn has arrived, soft and sure. The morning held that first delicate chill, a welcome contrast to the heavy heat of the past few months. I could almost hear my garden breathe a sigh of relief after so much struggle and survival; the grass seems to have found a new lease of life. Across the lanes and footpaths, the hedgerows are glowing reds, yellows, purples, blues: wild damsons, rosehips, hawthorn berries, blackthorn and blackberries. These...

  Pickling is more than a recipe; it’s a rhythm, a way of moving through the seasons with curiosity, creativity, and a little bit of joyful rebellion. As summer stretches across the hedgerows and gardens, Jen is out gathering, tasting, and pickling her way through the warm months, turning everyday vegetables into jars of brightness. Because here’s the truth: Whether it’s for today’s dish or your Christmas table… whatever it is, pickle it. Pickling gives you flavour that lasts. It gives you a way to stretch ingredients across the week. It gives you a spark of colour on a BBQ...

 There are certain moments in the year that feel like quiet rituals small, familiar markers that tell me the seasons are turning. For me, spring truly begins with elderflowers. One of my earliest memories is scrambling up steep hedgerow banks, tiny hands reaching for those creamy, fragrant blossoms. The banks always felt impossibly tall, but the promise of elderflower was enough to make me climb, stretch, and scramble. Even now, I still feel that same spark of excitement. As soon as the air begins to warm, I’m out searching the lanes like a cat after a mouse, scanning the hedgerows, peering into the...

Making jam isn’t just a kitchen task; it’s an art form, a slow, mindful ritual built on patience, commitment, and a deep respect for the ingredients. But before the fruit, before the sugar, before the gentle simmer that fills the house with sweetness, there’s something even more fundamental. It starts with the pan. Not any old pan pulled from the back of a cupboard. A jam pan needs soul. It needs history. It needs to be crafted with intention by people who care as much about the making as you care about the cooking. And that’s where this story begins....