Category: Foraging

  • Apple, almond & date cake recipe

    This cake is so simple and stunningly satisfying. It has a crunchy top and moist inside. The flavours are pleasingly complex with spicy sweet/tart apples contrasting with rich toffee-like roasted dates. The spelt flour and almonds give the cake a substantial nutty body. It tastes great warm straight from the oven or cool later on.…

  • The Sloe Trilogy III: How to make sloe wine, vodka, jam

    Fridge Jam This is the third part of the Sloe Trilogy where you use the same batch of sloes to make wine, vodka and fridge jam. This jam has the great sloe taste. I was surprised, to be honest, because I thought that the flavour transfer to the wine and vodka would mean it carried…

  • Sustainable Foraging Guidelines

    Rules are for the obedience of fools & the guidance of wise men* I like to think that my readers are wise people, so I thought I’d write some ‘Guidance’ on foraging sustainably instead of making ‘Rules’. I’m not a rules sort of person. I’ve also phrased them positively as Dos rather than as Don’ts…

  • The Sloe Trilogy II: How to make sloe wine, vodka, jam

    This is the second part of the Sloe Trilogy where you use the same batch of sloes to make wine, vodka and fridge jam. In the first part I showed you how to make the wine, here are the instructions for the vodka. When you have strained the sloes off the wine ‘must‘ you can…

  • Fermenting Revolution 2 – Apple cider vinegar

    It’s apple harvesting time. You may be wondering what else you can do with nature’s bounty after the pies, chutneys, jellies and the like. While going through Sandor Katz’s book I mentioned in Fermenting Revolution 1 I saw home made vinegars. And I’ve found that making vinegar really is very simple and the result is…

  • Blackberry Apple & Chilli Chutney Recipe

    This produces a chutney that has a rich, intense and complex flavour: blackberry plus. And the colour is a deep vermilion that is striking on the plate. I first used it as a condiment with a cheese platter and the sweet-sour-chilli flavours complemented the cheese and sourdough bread spectacularly. I next used it to deglaze…

  • Italian rotolo pasta with lemon-thyme butter recipe

    This pasta is a bit of a show stopper. It looks just great on the plate and there are loads of variations you could make to the filling. I’d often looked at the recipe in Jamie’s Italy and decided that it was a bit too much of a faff to do.  Then I saw the…

  • Nettle & Hazlenut Tart Recipe

    I’m developing a bit of a ‘thing’ about using nettles. I love it that I’m not putting money in the supermarket bosses’ pockets. I love it that they effectively cultivate themselves. I love it that they are so nutritious: high in vitamins A & C, contain essential minerals and have one of the highest protein…

  • Nettle Gnocchi Recipe

    I’ve been looking for more ways to use this freely available and nutritious vegetable. This recipe makes a vibrant green gnocchi that’s as tasty as it is inexpensive. If the preparation takes a while, it’s more than paid off with the short cooking time. One of the keys to success with this recipe is to…