Enjoying the autumnal atmosphere
Anyone who has stayed with us knows that I’m all about the food, baking fresh bread, sneaking you extra biscuits making slow-cooked welcome meals. Well, this week has largely been about taking advantage of what Autumn has to offer and getting down to some traditional countryside activities.
Today is sunny and clear but windy so much as I would like to be out foraging the hedgerows, instead, I am inside, avoiding the mountain of laundry that needs folding, and reflecting on what I’ve been up to recently.
Just a few weeks ago we had a lovely couple staying in the north wales shepherd’s hut; having moved to Los Angeles over a decade ago, he was reacquainting himself with the tastes of home and had treated himself to a rather nice pork pie. I can never resist the opportunity to add another level and so I offered him a jar of homemade chutney to go with it. Food tastes are by their nature subjective, there is always a period of breath holding while I wait to see if guests have enjoyed what I’ve made for them, and so it was a happy surprise to find the jar empty and washed out ready for re-use when they left to continue their UK holiday.
Making Apple Chutneys
The apple tree has slowly been releasing its fruit to the ground and each time I look has been a nudge that I really should get cracking on this year’s chutney. The marrows likewise have been sitting around on the kitchen windowsill making me feel guilty. It’s a bit of a labour of love, making chutney – strong vinegar smells infuse the house and a few hours of simmering lie ahead so you do have to build yourself up to it, well I do at least. Of course, it is well worth it in the end.
The recipe I use is my Nana’s but I think it was probably old long before she wrote it down. Somewhere I have a piece of a paper comparing the differences between my mother’s, my Aunty’s and Nana’s recipes for what is essentially the same chutney but tweaked according to their tastes. If I ever find it again I might make all three and do a blind-tasting session to find the winner.
My chutneys are all jarred up and ready to go
Chutney batch 1 is complete and is going to be part of a hamper of home-made goodies that I will be sold as Christmas presents for those hard to buy for people or for die-hard foodies, who might be pleased to receive a basket of authentic food that’s been made with love. Get in touch if you would like to hear more about what will be included.
Batch 2 is in the planning and will probably go towards my own Christmas presents. The final one will be going into teeny, tiny jars for guests in the holiday cottage and the shepherd’s hut. My absolute favourite thing to do with apple chutney is to slather it on a cheese sandwich, it gives me an immediate taste of childhood when cheese and chutney sandwiches were an absolute staple of every holiday or day trip.
The Shepherd’s hut and holiday cottage are about a 10-minute drive from each other, but as I have lived in both areas for years, I know the best places to look for blackberries and sloes. Interestingly there will still be blackberries in Llysfaen when the ones here have finished and so I plan my strategy accordingly. The holiday accommodations are located in the heart of Conwy with plenty of things to do in North Wales.
Blackberry Jam
This year the blackberry season seems to have been super-long. My partner was picking the first few in early August and they went straight into a series of summer puddings. He’s not that active in the kitchen department but we are very much aware of who is in charge of the summer pudding arena. So vital is it, that he will even make the arduous trek to Tesco to buy the correct type of white bread and the obligatory pot of Elmlea. (other alternative creams are available) to ensure the perfect result. The weighting down of the pudding is very important, so he compares the effectiveness of a large bag of sugar against a traditional flat iron. Anyway, back to my point which is that the date of writing is 17th October 2022 and there are still plenty in the hedges, so when the wind dies down I will foray out again and see what’s to be had.
Pickling onions
The pickling onions are currently making eyes at me even though I have hidden them in the car, they are calling out their need for spices and clean warm jars to live in, but I’m holding out for now, those blackberries won’t pick themselves and they need my attention first.
Sadly, so does the laundry!
Cerys