Family, Food, Home & Garden, Making stuff

Sweet chestnuts

When I was a little girl, and indeed a teenager, my parents would buy sweet chestnuts on a stall at their town market. They'd roast them and then we'd burn our finger tips deshelling them. I've had, very occasionally, roast chestnuts from a street seller. But they've always been coated in sugar and way too… Continue reading Sweet chestnuts

Home & Garden, Making stuff

Making stuff 21: gin and jam 2022

I think we've established by now that my only claim to any goddess-like levels of domesticity is my habit of making gin, jam, and chutney. Last year (2021) focus was on the gins, with a bit of hedgerow jelly for completeness. In 2020, I made a ridiculous 6 gins but just one jelly. The year… Continue reading Making stuff 21: gin and jam 2022

Green tomato chutney in jars
Food, Making stuff

Making stuff 20: Chutneys

As well as all the other culinary efforts producing stuff in jars this year (gin and jam, and mincemeat), I've also been in the chutney production business. This isn't unusual. In 2019 it was courgette chutney after a glut. I've done normal chutneys before as well in previous (pre-blogging years). I hadn't really planned on… Continue reading Making stuff 20: Chutneys