Red Onion Marmalade goes well with pâté, charcuterie platter, hard cheese, on a burger, with roast pork or beef steak. It’s sweet, soft and aromatic as it was cooked for some time in red wine and balsamic vinegar. Red Onion Marmelade is great freshly made, however, it gets even better the next day as the flavours have time to combine. It takes only one hour to have it ready so make a double portion as it disappears quickly. Find the recipe here…
Natural Orange Jelly
There is an authentic jelly made with oranges and mandarins, sugar and gelatine. No artificial colouring and flavourings, no high fructose corn syrup. It’s entirely natural, bursting with the orange flavour and packed with fresh sweet chunks of mandarins. The home-made orange jelly is super easy and can be made a day-ahead - which may be useful if you want to serve it as a dessert at the party all year round. It's a great, tasty and quite healthy sweet treat for adults and children. Find the recipe here…
Picota Cherry Confitures
Picota cherries are underrated and often chosen to sell as a "value" option because they are smaller, uglier and without stalks. But I do enjoy these firm cherries with big stones from the Jerte Valley in Extremadura in Spain because are always perfectly ripe, juicy and extremely sweet. They make an ideal clafoutis, fantastic summer soups, great gazpacho, crumbles, pies, amazing jams and confitures. When these summer berries are in season - only 6 weeks of the year, I make Picota Cherries Confitures which have a beautiful burgundy colour and sweet flavour with a hint of bitterness. They are delicious and can be a perfect substitute for the strawberry jam at the afternoon tea. Find the recipe here…
Crusty White Bread
A cast iron pot is perfect for making crusty golden artisan-style bread at home. The pot with its thick walls and a tight lid is a moisture-sealed chamber which traps steam and provides a temperature-stable baking environment. Moisture is important during the early stage of baking because allows the bread to rise fully. It creates this beautiful shiny crispy crust outside and let the interior of bread be white and soft. The crusty white bread requires a bit of work and time but its flavour and smell is worth this effort. It is the best just after cooling when the crust is fresh and very crispy. Find the recipe here…
Bitter - sweet Orange Marmalade
Seville oranges are perfect for marmalade because are rich in pectin and very aromatic. Thick skinned, sour like a lemon with a high level of bitterness fruits are grown in Seville and Malaga in southern Spain and available in the UK only for a few weeks in a year - from mid-January to February. I read they are currently harvested in Spain from November onwards so maybe you can spot them somewhere before Christmas. I usually use the oranges which are close at hand now - Navellina or Navel are most common in shops. But whichever oranges you choose, homemade marmalade made from fresh fruits is always a treat. Find the recipe here...