Recipes

Quinces have been grown for centuries, a fruit that is a quiet king of the orchard, a truly magnificent fruit. Here in England they are misunderstood, overlooked and underused, so get out and find your quince he may look like a frog but once you cook it it turns into a prince.  Something as simple as adding quince to an apple pie, will change your taste buds forever. It is like nothing on this earth will ever be the same again.  Quince has always been the pinnacle of the year for me - although I have other fruit to pick and...

The spring and summer cause great issues for foragers in the fact what do we pick first? There is so much ready all at once that it drives me mad, I work on average this time of year 18 hours, plus a day, the phone rings off the hook with many friends, family, and customers with news of a find, a new secret place to forage or they do indeed a glut of fruit that needs picking and of course (anyone who cooks will tell you this ) they all demand, new and interesting for recipes along with special tips and new ideas! I do...

Blackthorn flowers make Gin!  The Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa ) is found in many hedgerows and across the countryside but most importantly  in the many hedgerows  on the Chewton Glen Estate and recently Estate Manger Darren Venables tweeted a wonderful picture capturing the moment of this years flowering. It was beautiful. My mind heart skipped a beat. Its such an exciting time when nature starts to let you in to her little secrets and plans. And so the Blackthorn moments of glory is upon us before even his leaves appear giving this shrub a little glamour  in the bare hedgerows. A perfectly formed elegant...

As you know I am a fan of this particular farm in Spain their love and passion for growing organic oranges spreads across from Spain to our shores and into our kitchens like rays of the sun.  You can buy these beauties from River Ford Organics, or Waitrose and a few independent retailers.  This week on BBC radio Solent I talk about the farm marmalade making and here is the recipe the wonderful farmers send with their beautiful orange:  Ingredients: 1 kilo of Ava Marie Seville Oranges. 1 lemon Water 2.5 kilos of sugar. Instructions: Weight the empty pan and...