Picking the damsons was the easy part. I found as many as I needed along the hedge as I walked back from talking to Nathan who trims the horses’ hooves. It was Petroc’s turn. He is now three and in the same field as Jinx and Ernie. Old enough for better manners but, on the…

William looked crestfallen when I said we were having a Spanish omelette for supper. ‘Only one onion and no ham?’ To my joy, dear Claudia Roden writes at length on Spanish omelettes in her book,’ Claudia Roden: The Food of Spain’. Of course there are lots of regional variations but a little onion and diced…

Lamb with aubergines is one of my favourite things and moussaka my perfect comfort food. It is a dish I have made so many times without deciding which herb to put into the meat sauce. Coriander is good, so is rosemary. Parsley with mint is listed in one of my favourite cookbooks, The Real Greek…

We have a bumper crop of crab apples this year. I made crab apple jelly, but enough of the strained juice was left to make chilli jelly too! -Susan Chilli Jelly 1 litre crab apple juice 800g granulated sugar 6 or 7 red chillies, tops removed and finely sliced 175g cider vinegar Have ready four…

I gave my friend Penny a copy of The Allotment Kitchen. She was immediately disappointed that my ‘default’ Cheltenham cake was not included. This is the cake I make every year for our picnic at the end of our day at the Cheltenham Festival. I am sure I had written it down but Apples was…

I was going to have made The Summer Fruit and Almond Cake for my aunt’s 100th birthday tomorrow but the overnight wind and rain reduced our raspberries and blackberries to mush. But there are plums! Queen Victoria’s! I substituted 350g of prepared plums for the fruit in the Summer Cake recipe and the result is…

Earlier this week, I went to see Rick Stein give a cookery demonstration organised by Toppings,  the bookshop in Bath to promote his new book, From Venice to Istanbul. He mentioned how vegetables are not served hot in Greece or Turkey and the importance of yoghurt in the cooking of the Eastern Mediterrranean countries – two…

Runner beans are brilliant this year.  This chutney is the perfect solution for how to process them. -Susan

This recipe is based on one in Mark Hix’s British Seasonal Food. He uses fennel tops in place of dill. Different flavours but equally good as he suggests. Fillets of trout or sea trout can be easily cooked and served as a simple meal for two or as a starter for four or more. 1 sea…

A special treat for a Friday evening to celebrate the delivery of lamb from Mr Roberts, the butcher in Bala. His lamb is superb and now we are well stocked up until next year. Ribs of beef were also included in our order. All now safely stored in the deepfreeze. This favourite recipe is based on…