... AND COOKING THEM

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Summer Pudding

Use blackcurrants, redcurrants and an assortment of other summer fruits to make this summer favourite. Serve with fresh cream or crème fraiche. 

• Medium slices of white bread (crust removed) – enough to line a 1 litre bowl and make a lid.
• 750g (1½lb) of currants and other soft fruits (raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, blueberries, blackberries)
• 100g (4oz) white sugar

Line the base and sides of a 1 litre bowl.

Gently simmer the fruit with the sugar –until the sugar has completely dissolved and then a few further minutes so juice starts to run from the fruit mixture. 

Reserve 1-2 table spoons of the juice. Poor the fruit and juice mixture into the lined bowl and make a lid out of the bread slices so that the pudding fills the bowl to just below its top. Cover with cling film, place a saucer on the top and put a weight on top so that the lid is slowly and gently squashed into the fruit mixture. Place in the fridge and leave overnight. 

Turn the pudding out and pour the remaining juice over the top.

Broad Bean Hummus

Perfect with crackers, pitta bread or toasted sour dough bread.

• 450g (1lb) of broad beans
• 1 tsp spices (from cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, paprika, chilli seeds)
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• Sea salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Water
• Parsley or coriander leaves

Boil the shelled beans in salt water for five minutes, cool under running water, and remove from their skins.

Bake the seeds gently in a medium oven. Grind to powder in a mortar and pestle with the salt while still warm.

Place the beans, spice mix, garlic, olive oil, and a small amount of water in a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Add more water if the mixture is too thick, and more salt if needed.

Sprinkle with a small garnish of chopped parsley or coriander.

Rhubarb Vodka 

A quick and easy way to preserve any surplus rhubarb. Delicious on its own or mixed with lemonade or a sparkling wine.

Ingredients (the exact proportions don't matter, so you can add adjust the relative amount of fruit and sugar to suit your own taste):

• 500g (1lb) of rhubarb
• 500g (1lb) of sugar
• 1 litre of vodka 
• 2-3 vanilla pods (optional, but worth the effort!)

Simply soak all of the ingredients and store in a cool dark place. I use 2 litre kilner jars, but any air-tight container will do. Initially the liquid will need inverting or gentle stirring every day or two to stop the sugar from setting. It is ready to bottle (or drink!) after 3-4 weeks - when the liquid turns a pale shade of pink and the rhubarb turns a pale brown/green colour. 

You can leave it for much longer (up to a year) and the rhubarb taste becomes more pronounced. 

For a special treat add two or three vanilla pods. 

Kale and (Wild) Garlic

This side dish can be prepared with garlic but has a more subtle flavour if you use wild garlic leaves which are at their best in early April just as the plants start to flower.

Ingredients (per person)

• Kale - 25-30g (1oz.) 
• Garlic (one clove) or wild garlic (a generous handful)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• one quarter of fresh lemon

Blanch the kale in salt water and drain. If you are using 'ordinary' garlic,  crush the garlic and gently fry in olive oil before adding the kale. If you are using wild garlic, add raw to the drained kale and gently coo in the olive oil until wilted.

Squeeze the lemon over the mixture and serve while hot.

Sprouting Broccoli with Chilli and Anchovies

An unusual accompaniment to simply grilled meat or chicken. Enough for 4-6 portions.

• 1kg (2lb) purple sprouting or long stem broccoli 
• Half garlic bulb
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch dried chilli seeds
• Half tin anchovy fillets
• Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Trim the broccoli, blanch in salted water until tender and drain. 

Roughly chop the garlic and fry gently in the olive until soft. Add the chilli flakes and anchovies and cook until the anchovies have broken down and thickened the olive oil. Add the broccoli and warm through.

Anglesey Eggs

A simple and economical meal using seasonal leeks. The following makes four servings for a light supper or lunch.

• 500g (1lb) mashed potato
• 25g (1oz) butter
• 2 large leeks, washed, finely sliced and blanched
• 250ml (½pt) milk
• 100g (4oz) strong Cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the mashed potato, leeks, butter milk and seasoning in a bowl. Divide the mixture into four and spoon into individual oven dishes to approximately 1cm (½”) below the top of each dish.

Form a hollow in the mixture in each bowl and crack an egg in the hole. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top of each dish and bake in a hot oven the eggs are cooked and the cheese has browned.

Preserving Vegetables and Fruit

Preserving is a simple way of using fruit and vegetables, and it’s homely and satisfying to have jars of jams, chutneys, pickles and relishes in our cupboards. It is the perfect way of using surplus produce when there is a glut. And, by making them ourselves, we have control over their ingredients and can avoid the use of unnecessary colourings, flavourings and preservatives. They also make ideal gifts.

• Jams, jellies, marmalades and conserves are a mixture of fruits and sugar to which other flavours (e.g. spices) can be added
• Curds contain eggs and are cooked slowly at lower temperatures than jam (and, although they keep well when unopened, need to be refrigerated once opened) 
• Chutneys and relishes are made using an assortment of vegetables and spices with additional fruit, sugar and vinegars used as a preservative
• Pickles preserve fruit or vegetables by fermenting them or immersing them in either vinegar or brine

The nutritional value of all food deteriorates after it is picked. Preserving fruit and vegetables this is further reduced by washing, cooking, leaching and degradation. Many of these are unavoidable but can be limited by, preserving in oil rather than a sweet sauce, by pickling large chunks rather than grated vegetables, and by storing in cool dark spaces. And, although there is some loss of nutrients, preserved vegetables have historically helped to combat starvation and prevent scurvy throughout northern European winters. But the main reason for preserving fruit is to extend the shelf life of our produce, and, perhaps far more importantly, the taste!

Preserving doesn’t need any specialist equipment (although items such as preserving pans, jam funnels, and sugar thermometers are an advantage) and they require ingredients that are commonly available in any supermarket.