Bramble and Vanilla Cordial

The blackberries have only just flowered here in Scotland, little berries are starting to form but I certainly haven't seen any fully ripened berries in the hedgerow yet.  However, I always freeze some berries and my freezer harvest is perfect for making this delicious fruity cordial which is delicious served with water, sparkling water or including in alcoholic cocktails.  It's also really easy to make and much less expensive than the high end fruit cordials that I often buy.

Bramble and Vanilla Cordial
makes just over a litre

1kg blackberries
1.5l cold water
500g sugar
1 vanilla pod

1. Rinse the blackberries in a colander, then place in a large pan (I use my pressure cooker, without the lid) with the water.  
2. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Use a jelly bag, muslin or a clean tea towel and strain the fruit over a clean bowl.  Do not squeeze the bag as it will make the cordial cloudy.
4. While the juice is straining, sterilise your bottles.  Either rinse thoroughly in cold water then place in a low oven for 30 minutes, or use a proprietary sterilising solution and follow the instructions.
5. Return the juice to the cleaned pan and add the sugar and the vanilla pod, unopened as you don't want the seeds in the cordial, heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Skim off any froth on the top and simmer vigorously for 10 minutes. 
6. Remove the vanilla pod, rinse and dry for future use, and pour the cordial into sterilised bottles.
7. The cordial will keep for up to three months.

What I really like about this cordial, is that there is still a little sharpness from the blackberries and the vanilla just tempers it, without the cordial needing to be further sweetened.




If you are looking for more blackberry recipes or would like to share your own recipes, then join me and Karen from Lavender and Lovage for:

You don't have to be British to join in and you can use fresh, frozen, canned or any other kind of blackberries that you can get your hands on. It's very simple, here is what to do:

Labels: blackberries, Bramble, cordial, drinks, foraging, soft drinks, The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up. bramble, Vanilla

posted by Janice @ 20:50 20 Comments

Wild Garlic Hummus, Wild Garlic Pesto and Green Chicken - Obsessed by Spring Foraging

I make a batch of hummus every month and freeze it in portions, so we always have hummus available, it's my husband's favourite filling for his lunchtime sandwich.  I was looking for ways to use the wild garlic I had picked and, as hummus contains garlic, I decided to try making it with wild garlic.
Sometimes I forget just how fortunate I am to live in the country, mostly in the cold dark days of winter.  However, I am reminded of the joys of country living  in spring when everything starts to grow again.  Close to where I live there are some woods with a burn (stream) running through them and this is my favourite place to walk.  This year the Wild Garlic (Ransoms) have gone completely berserk and are covering the roadsides as well as the side of this little waterway.

We even had a late flurry of snow this weekend but you can see that the flowers are nearly ready to pop on this particular wild garlic plant.

Wild Garlic Hummus
250g cooked chickpeas
3 tablespoons of tahini
1 lemon, juiced
50g wild garlic, roughly torn
60ml olive oil
some of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas or water

Put all the ingredients into your food processor and process.  Add cooking liquid or water until you have the thickness and texture you prefer.




Wild Garlic Pesto
If you ask how best to preserve foraged wild garlic you will find many people will direct you to make pesto.  So I did! It has a stunning colour and an intense flavour and you can freeze it for later.

You need:
100g wild garlic leaves, roughly torn
50g nuts (I used almonds)
200 ml oil (I used olive oil)
75g cheese (I used a combination of grated cheddar and parmesan)
Pinch of sea salt

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve with pasta, risotto or however you would usually serve pesto.




Green Chicken or Turkey Breast

1. Roughly tear up the wild garlic leaves and put them and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.  
2. Loosen the skin of the chicken or turkey breast and rub some of the mixture under the skin, directly onto the breast meat.  Then rub the rest of the mixture over the whole bird.
3. Roast  breast side up for 20 minutes at 180C, then turn over and roast for the time appropriate to the size of your bird to make sure it is cooked through.  Test by piercing with a skewer at the thickest part and the juices will run clear when it is cooked. 

Wild Garlic Omelette
I hope you have enjoyed this foray into the world of foraged food and you are encouraged to seek out some wild food for yourself.  Please be very careful what you pick and where you pick it from, getting someone to show you which plants are safe is the best way to learn. 



I'm adding these recipes to Cooking with Herbs, the Linky Party run by Karen at Lavender and Lovage 


I'm also entering this seasonal wild garlic for Ren Behan's Simple and in Season which is being hosted this month by Helen at Fuss Free Flavours

Labels: foraging, green chicken, hummus, omelette., Pesto, ransoms, Turkey, Wild Garlic

posted by Janice @ 21:26 26 Comments

On my 'Mother's Day' Kitchen Table

Mother's Day is nearly here, it's later this year on 30th March so you still have  little time to choose and buy your gifts. The gift you choose for your mother will depend on some key factors including price, availability but most importantly the gift should be something that your mother will like.

That got me thinking about different kinds of mothers and what they might like to receive so here is my little guide to gifts for different mothers.

Chocoholic Mum

Image - Last Door Down the Hall

Along with flowers, chocolate is probably one of the most common gifts to buy for Mother's Day and it's an absolute must for the Chocoholic Mother.  This is a time to look for something a little different and special like this Hotel Chocolat Hazelnut Spread. 


Oh my, this is a delicious spread.  It's richer and more chocolately than similar spreads that are available and, as well as making the perfect 'tartine' for breakfast or tea, it would also be delicous warmed and poured over ice-cream or baked into a muffin, or for the true chocoholic eat it straight from the jar with a spoon!
At £6.50 for 150g, Hotel Chocolat Hazelnut Chocolate Spread is a luxury product at a reasonable price.  Hotel Chocolat have a wide range of different chocolate treats you are bound to find a special chocolate gift.

Image: Last Door Down the Hall

Dunelm Mill have a great selection of silicone moulds suitable for oven and microwave use, prices in  The Silicone Collection  range from 75p for a silicone heart shaped mould up to £8.99 for a chocolate house mould.  The 6 Flowerpot Silicone Cupcake Cases are £3.99 and the Macaroon Baking Set is £4.99.

Tea-Jenny Mum 










Masterchef Mum 

Image: Millie Motts

As you can imagine, I have no trouble at all thinking of gifts for Masterchef Mum!  One idea that will appeal to the the gadget lovers is this simple but effective whisk.

The Nova Multi-Quirl is simple to use and requires no batteries and no cables, you just push the handle down and it twists and whisks. I found it to be well constructed and particularly liked being able to put it in the dishwasher.  You can see how it works HERE
The Nova Multi-Quirl is available from G3 Direct Ltd for £12.95

Foraging Mum 

Image: The Graphics Fairy

Foraging Mum likes to make the most of the food that can be gathered for free, whether it's blackberries in autumn or wild garlic in the spring.  Rosehips on a Kitchen Table is delightful little book full of hints and tips about foraging and recipes to make the most of your foraged goodies. Now is the time to forage for fresh, young leaves,  and I'm sure Foraging Mum would love to learn to make Wild Garlic Pesto or Nettle Risotto.  Elderberries, Blackberries, Rosehips and Sloes all feature with their own recipes. Tipsy Sloe Fairy Cakes: dainty fairy cakes with a hidden tipsy heart sound so tempting especially when served with clotted cream, as suggested in the book.

In addition to the foraging chapters author, Carolyn Caldicott writes about how to Grow your Own fruit and vegetables and includes information about how to deal with the inevitable gluts!  Some of the recipes that stood out for me were: Broad Beans Baked with Asparagus, Eggs Baked in Passata, Pepper and Chorizo Sauce,  Parsnip Gnocchi and Rosemary and Honey Roots.

The final chapter is entitled 'What on Earth do I do with This?'  and is a chapter devoted to the more unusual vegetables which might turn up in your veg box.  Celeriac Champ looked good and I can't wait to try Beetroot Leaves with Walnuts, Raisins and Orange.  Convert the most ardent Brussels Sprout hater with Brussels Stir Fry with Ginger Cumin and Chilli.



Rosehips on a Kitchen Table by Carolyn Caldicott
Photographs by Chris Caldicott
Published by Francis Lincoln Limited

Labels: Carolyn Caldicott, Chinese Tea, Dunelm Mill, Flowbox, foraging, Francis Lincoln Ltd, gifts, Hazelnut and Chocolate Spread, Hotel Chocolat, Mother's Day, Nova Multi-Quirl, silicone bakeware, Tea Vivre

posted by Janice @ 20:56 27 Comments

Win Edinburgh Book Festival Tickets

I have two tickets to give away for a children's foraging and cooking session on Monday 12th August at the Edinburgh Book Festival, with Fi Bird of The Forager's Kitchen. 

Read my REVIEW of the Forager's Kitchen with recipe for New Potatoes in Ramps and Lemon  I also made Honeysuckle Syrup from the book and it features in  Poached Apricots with Honeysuckle Syrup.

Fi Bird is a graduate of St Andrew's university, mother of six and a past Masterchef finalist who has always had a passion for cooking. She is self-taught, with an approach to food based on knowledge of tight budgets and limited time. Campaigning for healthier diets and for cookery teaching at Primary schools, she writes articles and recipes extensively for newspapers and magazines. She is a member of the Guild of Food Writers, and also develops recipes for Tern TV.

Fi and Dr Stephen Bird are the founders of Stirrin'Stuff, which works in partnerships to educate children about food. Stirrin'Stuff is committed to sustainable development and ethical best practice. Dr Bird has recently completed a course in human nutrition. In May 2008 Matthew Fort wrote that "Fi acts like a frontier food marshal. She gallops from school to school, from community to community, bringing with her experience, passion and boundless enthusiasm." when reviewing the campaign for his Round Britian with a fork column in the Guardian Food Magazine.

Here are the details of the cookery session:

Foraging for Food with Fi Bird

Create culinary delights with expert forager and cook Fi Bird. Whether you live in a large city, in open countryside or by the coast, there are plenty of delicious ingredients growing in the wild. And once you have brought your bounty home, Fi has hundreds of recipes you can use. Tasty treats await!


How to enter the Giveaway

Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below.  The prize winner will be contacted by email on Friday 9th August.  I will not publish the name of the winner until after the event but will pass on the name of the winner to Fi Bird to ensure entry to the event.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not paid to run this giveaway, all opinions are my own. 

Labels: children, Cooking, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Book Festival, Fi Bird, foraging, giveaway, win

posted by Janice @ 13:33 1 Comments

A Salmon and Nettle Tart - Dish of the Month

As Nigel Slater says: "there is something deeply satisfying about taking a huge, golden tart to the table, a tart we have made ourselves. A tart we can give to others knowing it will give as much pleasure to them as making it did to us"  There is something even more satisfying in making a tart that includes foraged ingredients such as wild garlic and nettles, free food!


When I went to the freezer, I discovered I only had one salmon fillet left, so used a couple of haddock fillets to bulk out the tart, you would never have been able to tell.  I topped it with some of the Wild Garlic butter I made and froze last month.
I baked the fish in the oven for about 15 minutes and then left it to cool.
I'd read in The Foragers Kitchen that you could substitute young nettle tops for spinach, so I donned my rubber gloves and headed round into the back garden to collect some nettles.  Living on a farm means that the fields and hedgerows tend to invade the garden and while this is not great for gardening, it is rather handy for foraging!

Labels: Dish of the Month, flan, foraging, Nettles, Nigel Slater, quiche, salmon, tart

posted by Janice @ 11:57 7 Comments