River Cottage - continued

As mentioned earlier, I spent Monday at River Cottage HQ. Now in it's third incarnation, River Cottage resides at Park Farm, which can be found in the Axe Valley in Devon (and very beautiful it is too). Although no one lives there at the moment they are renovating the farmhouse, where the livestock chap will live, and are perhaps looking to build an annex ready for people to stay on for holidays.

It's hard to pick from the selection, but inspired by my Elderflower Cordial earlier in the year I decided to go with the 'Preserved' class and learn about the dark arts of jam and chutney. Hugh wasn't actually there, but so much the better, as I found myself in the more-than-capable hands of Pam Corbin and Liz Neville. Pam Corbin is co-founder of 'Thursday Cottage', now owned by Tiptree, whilst Liz Neville is exactly the kind of West Country woman you'd expect to meet at a farmer's market.

Unfortunately we didn't actually get much in the way of hands-on experience, but no matter, as the day was absolutely packed full of demonstrations, recipes, tips and hilarious banter. My cupboards can expect to soon be home to:

- Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam
- Gooseberry Cheese
- Berrybena (A summer berry cordial)
- Bramley Apple Curd (absolutely delicious!)
- Gooseberry and Mint Jelly
- Hugh's Raspberry Fridge Jam (again, delicious)
- Beetroot Chutney
- Salted Lemons (great for Moroccan cooking)

It really was a top, top day - so many thanks to the lovely Pokers! I'm hoping to bring in something for you to sample soon.