Piccalilli is a condiment that my mother has always loved, but that I struggled with until relatively recently. The store bought stuff is just too chunky for my tastes. I’ve always liked the mustard sauce though, so when I was younger, and living with my mum, I would make a cheese and piccalilli sandwiches and leave out the bits. My friend then gave me a jar of her home made sandwich Piccalilli, which means the bits have been copped up, I was an instant convert and have now made a couple of batches of my own.

Link to measurement conversion chart

Makes enough for approx. 3 x 340g jars

Ingredients

• 1kg washed, peeled vegetables – select 5 or 6 from the following: cauliflower or romanesco cauliflower; green beans; cucumbers; courgettes; green or yellow tomatoes; tomatilloes; carrots; small silver-skinned onions or shallots; peppers; nasturtium seed pods
• 50g salt
• 30g cornflour
• 10g ground turmeric
• 10g English mustard powder
• 15g yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 600ml cider vinegar
• 150g granulated sugar
• 50g honey

Method

• Cut the vegetables into small, even bite-sized pieces, don’t go too small or it will go like mush. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the veg with cold water and drain thoroughly.
• Blend the cornflour, turmeric, mustard powder, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar.
• Add the rest of the vinegar and put in a saucepan with the sugar and honey then bring to the boil stirring.
• Boil for 3–4 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.
• Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the well-drained vegetables into the hot, spicy sauce. Pack the pickle into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately with vinegar-proof lids. Leave for 4–6 weeks before opening.
• Use within a year.

Serving suggestions and variations

• You can use a mix of any of the Vegetables listed so as things come into season try a different selection
• I like plenty of sauce so tweak the ingredients to allow for 800ml of vinegar if you do too
• Piccalilli is a great condiment with gammon, ham and cheese. Remember to get the jar out whenever you have a salad or sandwich.

Acknowledgements

The original recipe comes from River cottage. I like it because it doesn’t involve cooking the vegetables, for me pickles need to be crunchy. My thanks  go to the River Cottage Team.

You may also enjoy

• A warming soup for lunch or supper, give our Lentil and Frankfurter soup a try
• Looking for a little taste of the mediteranean try our Med Veg, lovely as a hot side dish or cold as a side salad
• Treat your self to a traditional English Cream Tea with the best ever warm scones straight from the oven.

We hope you have enjoyed these recipes.

Happy eating!

This chutney was first made by John as an entry to the Wanborough Summer Show. Unfortunately it was robbed of its deserved first prize, however it has become a firm family favourite ever since. It is a sweet, gingery chutney and goes really well with a strong cheddar and plain crackers, even I like it!

Link to measurement conversion chart

Ingredients

• 1Kg carrots very coarsely grated
• 150g fresh peeled ginger - ½ cut to matchsticks, ½ grated
• Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 5g ground chilli
• 25g salt
• 25g ground coriander
• 500 ml cider vinegar
• 120ml runny honey
• 750g sugar
• 60g flaked almonds

You will also need

• A large saucepan
• Steralized jars for storage

Method

1. Mix the carrots, all the ginger, lemon zest and juice, chilli, salt and coriander together in a bowl and cover with vinegar. Leave to marinade over night.
2. Put the marinated carrots etc into a preserving pan with the juice.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins
4. Add the honey and sugar, stir to dissolve and bring back to the boil
5. Boil for approx 25 mins until the mixture is thick
6. Add the almonds and boil for a further 5 mins
7. Put the chutney into steralized jars and leave to mature for 2 – 3 months
8. Eat and enjoy. 

Serving suggestions and variations

• The original recipe adds 300ml water at stage 2, we found this addition made the mix too wet and now don’t do it.
• This is best made and allowed to mature for 2 – 3 months, it will keep for up to a year
• Best served with mature cheddar, stilton or any other strong flavoured or blue cheese
• Use plain crackers rather than flavoured as you overpower your taste buds otherwise
• Also goes well with baked gammon

Acknowledgements

This recipe came from Sophie Grigson’s “Eat your greens”. This is a great book for all sorts of wonderful recipes which help you use a wide variety of vegetables in new and interesting ways. It has been an inspiration to us.

You might also like to try

• A light summer soup which makes use of a glut of lettuce, then Alison's Lettuce Soup is great when your crop needs clearing
• A Corned Beef Lasagne is high on the comfort food list in our house, give it a go if you fancy something different
• Good for when you have a few spare eggs to use, Pasteis De Nata  are best served warm and fresh.

If you liked this recipe and have any photo's to share, then let us know as we love to hear from you or post them on our Facebook page

Happy eating!

Lemon curd is a sweet, buttery,  lemony spread or topping which has a beautiful rich yellow colour. Although normally made using lemons, any citrus fruit can be used as well as other fruits and berries, see below for some ideas. The only thing to be aware of when substituting lemons for berries is that the colour of the curds made with red and purple berries can be a little odd as they look a litt;e muddy, they taste great though so don’t let the colour put you off.

Link to measurement conversion chart

Ingredients

• 4 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice
• 200g/7oz unrefined caster sugar

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3 free-range eggs, plus 1 free-range egg yolk

Method

1. Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until all of the butter has melted.
2. Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined, then leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Remove the lemon curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal.
4. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Serving suggestions and variations

• If you want a richer curd just use the egg yolks.
• I love lemon curd on white bread as a sandwich for a treat. But it is also a great filling for cakes, especially a lemon version of the Victoria Sandwichor in a lemon drizzle cake
• Serve a dollop on top of ice cream
• Use as part of a filling for choux buns
• Other fruit curds can be made substituting the lemons for an equal amount of juices from;
  • Oranges
  • Limes
  • Tangerines
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Pasion fruit
  • Mangoes
  • Gooseberries

   

Acknowledgements

Lemon curd has been part of my life all my life and I have always loved it. I did not make any myself until I had a go at Delia Smith’s Lemon Curd Layer Cake. The flavour was just something else. The mass produced curds just don’t compare. If you really can’t be bothered to make your own always buy a home made product if you can.

You might like to try

• Eggs benedict is a great traditional breakfast dish. Add some salad and it doubles up as a satisfying lunch too
• A light soup can be made more filling with the addition of cheese and French Onion Soup is just perfect with a cheesey crouton.
• Having used all those egg yolks try making a simple Mint Choc Mousse to use the leftover whites

Happy eating!

This is a tasty chutney, that has become a local favourite thanks to my Mother-In-Law who always made a batch to donate to the local Church Fete. It improves with age so make this year for next. However if you really can't wait it is good to get out on Boxing Day when there is a wealth of leftovers to use up.

Link to measurement conversion chart

Recipe serves makes approx 2lbs

Ingredients

• 900g of runner beans sliced
• 650g chopped onions
• 2 heaped tsp of cornflour
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 heaped tbsp dry mustard
• 450g Demerara sugar
• 450g Soft Brown sugar
• 30 floz of malt vinegar

You will also need

• A large saucepan or preserving pan
• Steralized jars for sorage.

Method

1. Cook the sliced beans in salted water until tender
2. Cook the onions in 10 floz of vinegar
3. Mix the dry ingredients with a little of the remaining vinegar to make a smooth paste
4. Strain the cooked beans and add them to the onions with the remaining vinegar. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes
5. Add the sugar and paste to the beans and simmer for a further 15 - 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced and gone sticky.
6. bottle and store in a cool dark place, best left for 6 months before use. Will last 2 - 3 years.

Serving suggestions and variations

• Great served with Sausages, gammon and chops
• Good with a mature cheddar on crackers
• add a bit of bite with a splash of tabasco
• replace the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar for a richer flavour
• try using a white or red wine vinegar

Acknowledgements

This recipe has been passed down to me by my Mother-In-Law and has come from a WI "Unusual Preserves" book. The book is well used and covered with the splashes of the many different jams, and chutneys Joan made in the years it belonged to her and is a treasured part of our library of recipe books. My thanks go to the original members of the WI movement for having the foresight to create this book for us and to Joan for using it.

You may also like to try

• If you fancy something different but not too unfamiliar have a look at Bobootie, a South African variation of Mousaka, but different
• Coleslaw can come in many variations. This is a simple and basic starting point and it goes well with hot or cold foods
• Fruit cake goes very well with cheese, this Dundee Cake is a variation on the classic and is yummy!

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Happy Eating!