by Pam Corbin
These are some of my favourite takes on the hedgerow jelly idea. In each case, follow the hedgerow jelly method and quantities (on the previous page); i.e. always use 450g sugar to each 600ml strained fruit juice.
Spicy crab apple jelly Use crab apples alone and add a few cloves and a couple of cinnamon sticks when the fruit is being cooked. This all-time classic hedgerow jelly is equally at home on thinly sliced hot buttered toast or as an accompaniment to succulent cold roast pork or turkey.
Rosehip and apple jelly Use 500g rosehips, first blitzed in a food processor, and 1.5kg crab or cooking apples. Excellent with roast pork.
Rowan jelly Use 1kg rowan berries and 1kg crab apples. Add the juice of 1 lemon before adding the sugar. For a really aromatic jelly, add a bunch of sage or thyme when the fruit is softening. Rowan jelly is lovely served with game.
Blackberry and apple jelly Use 1kg blackberries and 1kg apples. This is a nostalgic teatime treat for me, as I remember how good my grandmother’s blackberry and apple jelly always tasted on wafer-thin slices of bread and butter.
P.S. Hedgerow jelly, or any other well-coloured jelly, can be used as a natural colouring for glacé icing. Just a teaspoonful or two will be sufficient to give your icing a wickedly deep hue that will be sure to liven up your cakes.
Honeyed hazels
Season: September
You’ve got to be quick to beat the squirrels to the hazelnuts each autumn. Once you’ve managed to find some, it’s important to store them carefully. Even with their shells on, they have a tendency to dry out and shrivel up, but preserving them in honey will keep them fresh and fragrant for ages. Use wild hazels that you have gathered yourself, or British-grown cobnuts – which are simply a cultivated form of hazelnut.
Spoon your honeyed hazels over plain yoghurt, chocolate ice cream, porridge or muesli. They’re also delicious as a topping for a steamed sponge pudding.
Makes 2 x 225g jars
500g hazelnuts or cobnuts
340g clear honey
Start by inviting your friends round for a nut-cracking evening (they’ll come the first year, but maybe not the next). Crack all the nuts and remove the kernels.
Heat a frying pan over a low heat. Toast the shelled nuts in batches for 4–5 minutes, jiggling and shaking the pan to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Pack the nuts into sterilised jars, adding 1 tbsp honey at every third or fourth layer. Continue until the jars are chock-a-block full, making sure that the nuts are well covered in honey. Seal securely with a lid and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Use within 12 months.
P.S. ‘Clear’ honey is runny while ‘set’ honey is thick and opaque, but apart from this there is no real difference between the two types – it’s just down to the feeding ground for the bees. Borage honey, a speciality of east Yorkshire, is one of the clearest honeys you will ever come across, whereas clover honey is favoured for its creamy thick texture and floral flavour. All honey, with the exception of heather honey, will eventually become cloudy as a result of the natural process of crystallisation. If you find this happens and you want your honey to be runny again, then just stand the jar in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes until it is liquid honey again.
Honeyed hazels
Plum and russet mincemeat
Season: September to October
The term ‘mincemeat’ originated in the fifteenth century, when chopped meat was preserved with a combination of dried fruit, sugar and aromatic spices. During the seventeenth century, beef or lamb suet replaced the meat and has been used ever since – with vegetarian ‘suet’ a more recent option. This recipe is a departure on several fronts: it uses fresh fruit as well as dried, and contains no suet. In fact, it contains very little fat (only the oil in the walnuts). The result is light and fruity, but with all the rich, warm spiciness of a traditional mincemeat.
Makes 4 x 450g jars
1kg plums
Finely grated zest and juice of 2–3 oranges (you need 200ml juice)
500g russet apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1cm cubes
200g currants
200g raisins
200g sultanas
100g orange marmalade
250g demerara sugar
½ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
½ nutmeg, grated
50ml ginger wine or cordial (optional)
100g chopped walnuts
50ml brandy or sloe gin
Wash the plums, halve and remove the stones, then put into a saucepan with the orange juice. Cook gently until tender, about 15 minutes. Blend to a purée in a liquidiser or push through a sieve. You should end up with about 700ml plum purée.
Put the purée into a large bowl and add all the other ingredients, except the brandy or gin. Mix thoroughly, then cover and leave to stand for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 130°C/Gas Mark ½. Put the mincemeat in a large baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 2–2½ hours. Stir in the brandy or gin, then spoon into warm, sterilised jars, making sure there aren’t any air pockets. Seal and store in a dry, dark, cool place until Christmas. Use within 12 months.
Variations
You can vary this recipe, but keep the fresh fruit purée to around 700ml and the total amount of dried fruit to 600g. For an apple, pear and ginger mincemeat, replace the plums with Bramley apples, the russet apples with firm pears, and 100g of the raisins or sultanas with 100g crystallised stem ginger. You could also exchange the walnuts for almonds and add a couple of teaspoonfuls of ground cinnamon.
Plum and russet mincemeat
Quince cheese
Season: late September to October
A fruit cheese is simply a solid, sliceable preserve – and the princely quince, with its exquisite scent and delicately grainy texture, makes the most majestic one of all. It can be potted in small moulds to turn out, slice and eat with cheese. Alternatively, you can pour it into shallow trays to set, then cut it into cubes, coat with sugar and serve as a sweetmeat.
A little roughly chopped quince cheese adds a delicious fruity note to lamb stews or tagines – or try combining it with chopped apple for a pie or crumble.
Makes about 1kg
1kg quince
500–750g granulated sugar
Food-grade paraffin wax, for sealing (see the directory)
Wash the quince. Roughly chop the fruit but don’t peel or core them. Place in a large pan and barely cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft and pulpy, adding a little more water if necessary. Leave to stand for several hours.
Rub the contents of the pan through a sieve or pass through a mouli. Weigh the pulp and return it to the cleaned-out pan, adding an equal weight of sugar. Bring gently to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer gently, stirring frequently, for an hour and a bit until really thick and glossy. It may bubble and spit like a volcano, so do take care. The mixture is ready when it is so thick that you can scrape a spoon through it and see the base of the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture oozes together again.
If you’re using small dishes or straight-sided jars, brush them with a little glycerine (see the directory). This will make it easy to turn out the cheese. If you’re using a shallow baking tray or similar, line it with greaseproof paper, allowing plenty of overhang to wrap the finished cheese.
When the cheese is cooked, pour it into the prepared moulds or jars. To seal open moulds, pour melted food-grade paraffin wax over the hot fruit cheese. Jars can be sealed with lids. Cheese set in a shallow tray should be covered with greaseproof paper and kept in the fridge.
For optimum flavour, allow the quince cheese to mature for 4–6 weeks before using. Eat within 12 months.
Quince cheese
Melissa’s chestnut jam
Season: October to December
I first made this deliciously sweet preserve while staying at a farm on Dartmoor. Melissa, who lived at the farm, came to help with the
laborious job of peeling the chestnuts, and we whipped through them in no time. The addition of honey to the jam seemed entirely appropriate, since that’s what ‘Melissa’ means in Greek.
I like to spoon chestnut jam into meringue nests and top with cream. Or stir a spoonful or two into chocolate mousse, or dollop on to vanilla ice cream before drizzling with hot chocolate sauce. This preserve also makes a lovely filling for chocolate cakes, and of course, it can be enjoyed simply spread on crusty bread.
Makes 5 x 225g jars
1kg sweet chestnuts
400g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
100g honey
50ml brandy
The first task is to remove the leathery shells and skin from the chestnuts. Use a sharp knife to make a knick in the top of each chestnut. Plunge them into a pan of boiling water for 2–3 minutes – sufficient time to soften the shell but not to let the nuts get piping hot and difficult to handle. Remove the pan from the heat. Fish out half a dozen or so chestnuts and peel off their coats. With luck, the thin brown skin under the shell will peel away too. Continue in this way until all are peeled.
Put the chestnuts into a clean pan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25–30 minutes, or until tender. Strain, but keep the cooking liquid.
Purée the chestnuts with 100ml of the cooking liquid in a food processor or using a stick blender.
Pour a further 100ml of the cooking liquid into a pan and add the sugar. Heat gently until dissolved. Add the chestnut purée, vanilla paste and honey. Stir until well blended. Bring to the boil then cook gently for 5–10 minutes until well thickened. Take care, as it will pop and splutter and may spit. Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately. Use within 6 months. Store in the fridge once opened.
Candied orange sticks
Season: any time
I like to make several batches of these sweetmeats in November or early December. A dozen or so, wrapped in cellophane, are a charming gift. Needless to say, you don’t need to stop at oranges: lemon and grapefruit peel work equally well and you can use milk, plain or white chocolate for dipping. The glucose syrup is optional, but does prevent the sticks becoming too hard. It is best to keep the candied sticks in an airtight container and only dip them in chocolate when you want them.
Makes about 100 sticks
4–5 large oranges
500g granulated sugar
1 tbsp glucose syrup (optional)
200g good plain chocolate
Scrub the oranges then remove the peel in quarters. To do this, cut through the peel with a sharp knife, going right round the orange, starting and finishing at the stalk, then repeat, at right angles to the first cut. Remove the peel, with the attached pith, from the fruit. Weigh out 250g peel and cut it into slices, about 6mm x 5cm.
Put the orange peel slices into a large pan and cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and return to the pan with 1 litre of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved (it won’t take long). Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 24 hours.
Bring the pan to the boil again. Add the glucose syrup if using and boil gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated and the orange sticks are coated with bubbling orange syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Using a pair of tongs (or your fingers), carefully remove the orange sticks and place on a wire rack (with a tray underneath to catch the drips). Leave in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard, for 24 hours, or place in a very low oven at approximately 60°C/Gas Mark ⅛ for 2–3 hours to dry.
Break the chocolate into pieces, put into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave until melted. Remove from the heat. Dip one half of each orange stick in the melted chocolate and place on a sheet of greaseproof paper to dry.
Before dipping, the sticks will keep well for 3–4 months. Once they have their chocolate coating, they are best eaten within 3 weeks.
Candied orange sticks
Cider apple butter
Season: September to November
Autumn is the season for apples. For centuries, the apple crop has been important and the apple tree cherished and celebrated for its fruit. Wassailing is a West Country tradition when, on Twelfth Night of old (17 January), country folk toast and drink the health of the largest and most prolific apple tree in the orchard for a healthy, fruitful crop the coming season.
The sharp and bittersweet qualities of cider gives this old-fashioned apple butter a special flavour. It’s a sensational fruity spread to daub over hot buttered toast or crumpets.
Makes 5–6 x 225g jars
1.5kg cooking apples
600ml dry or medium cider
Granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground cinnamon
There is no need to peel or core the apples. However, if you are using windfalls (and this is a very good recipe in which to do so), cut away any damaged or bruised bits. Chop the apples into fairly big pieces (each into about 8). Place in a large pan with the cider and 600ml water. Cook gently until soft, then remove from the heat.
Push the apple mixture through a nylon sieve or use a mouli to reduce it to a purée. Weigh the fruit pulp and return it to the cleaned-out pan, adding 340g sugar for every 600ml fruit pulp. Add the cloves and cinnamon. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly for 10–15 minutes until the mixture begins to splutter and is thick and creamy.
Remove from the heat and pour immediately into warm, sterilised jars (it’s best to use small jars as this low-sugar preserve has a relatively short shelf life, once opened). Seal immediately. Use within 12 months. Store in the fridge once opened.
Variation
Blackberries make a beautiful fruit butter. Follow the above method using 1kg ripe blackberries, 500g cored and peeled cooking apples and 100ml lemon juice; allow 300g sugar for every 600ml fruit pulp.
Compost heap jelly
Season: any time
This is a wonderful, frugal recipe that complements some of the other fruity preserves in the book because it uses the apple scraps and citrus skins that would normally be destined for the compost heap or bin. These skins are full of flavour and rich in pectin, so it’s a shame not to use them. For the cost of a bag of sugar (and a bit of your time) you can transform them into a really fruity, marmalade-flavoured jelly. It functions nicely as an emergency breakfast preserve when your last jar of marmalade has been eaten and the seasonal Sevilles haven’t yet arrived in the shops.
Makes 3 x 225g jars
500g apple cores and peel
500g citrus fruit peel (unwaxed lemon, orange, grapefruit and/or lime), cut into roughly 1cm shreds
Granulated sugar
Juice of 1 orange, lemon or grapefruit (optional)
Put the apple cores and peel and the citrus peel into a saucepan. Add sufficient water to cover (you’ll probably need about 1.5 litres). Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 45–60 minutes – this softens the fruit and releases the valuable pectin. Turn the fruit into a scalded jelly bag or muslin and leave overnight to drip.
Measure the strained liquid and weigh 450g sugar for every 600ml juice. Return the juice to the pan and add the orange, lemon or grapefruit juice, if using. Bring to the boil, then add the sugar. Stir until dissolved then boil rapidly, without stirring, until setting point is reached, about 10 minutes or so.
Remove from the heat and stir, always going in the same direction, until all the surface bubbles have disappeared. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and either swivel or tap the side of the jars to remove any remaining bubbles. Seal in the usual way. Use within 12 months.
Time for vinegar vapours to fill the air! This chapter is a little sharper than the last one – and full of recipes that feature piquancy, bite and spice. T
hese sweet/sour preserves are generally inexpensive and easy to make. There are only a few guidelines to follow – you don’t have to worry about pectin or acid, for instance, as in jam-making. Their uses extend far beyond cold meat and ploughman’s lunches. They can be stirred into soups, added to meaty stews, curries or tagines, served with smoked or marinated fish and, of course, combined with other ingredients to make great sandwiches and picnic food. No home should be without them!
Often lumped together, pickles, chutneys and relishes are actually distinctly different and not prepared in the same way:
Clear pickles These are an age-old British way of preserving vegetables or fruit, which are usually left raw or only lightly cooked, and kept whole or in large pieces. Pickles rely predominately on vinegar and salt for keepability though sugar, honey, spices and herbs can all be added for extra flavour. After salting, the ingredients are rinsed and drained before being packed into jars and fully covered with plain or spiced vinegar. Pickled onions are the classic example of this type of preserve.
Sweet pickles Made from fruits and vegetables, again in relatively large pieces, lightly cooked in sweetened vinegar, these are often flavoured with spices such as ginger, cloves and allspice. In some recipes – piccalilli, for instance – the vinegar syrup is thickened with cornflour to make a light sauce. The cooked produce is packed in warm jars and the vinegar syrup reduced and poured over the fruit to cover.
Chutneys We learnt about chutney-making from our Indian colonies in the nineteenth century, and authentic Indian chutneys are usually fresh preparations served with spicy foods. The British interpretation of a chutney is rather different: rich, highly spiced, sweet-sharp preserves, based on vegetables and fruit which are chopped small and cooked for a long time to create a spoonable consistency and mellow flavour. They often feature dried fruit too, which contributes natural sugar and textural contrast.
Relishes Somewhere between pickles and chutneys, these are made from diced or chunkily cut fruit and vegetables but they are cooked for a shorter time than a chutney. They can be spicy, sweet, sour (or all three), may be eaten soon after making and should be kept in the fridge once opened.