Not in the back catalogue …

… but definitely damsons.

I'm going to mention Christmas – bear with me, there's a valid reason.

I wanted to produce something different from the harvest – it does require a smidge of organisation I'm hoping it's going to be worth it. It certainly got H's attention!

There's a fashion for flavoured spirits these days. Here's my contribution, damson gin – which will be ready for Christmas!

It's not my recipe but, as you'll see, it's easy :

Damson Gin

500g damsons

250g golden caster sugar

1 litre bottle of gin (or vodka if you prefer)

Rinse and pick over the damsons, removing any leaves or stalks, pat dry place in a good quality freezer bag and freeze overnight. The following day bash the bag to break the fruits then tip into a 2 litre Kilner jar or divide between two smaller jars.

Pour in the sugar and the gin and secure with the lid. Shake well. For the following week shake each day until the sugar has dissolved then put it in a cool dark place and leave for 2/3 months.

Line a plastic sleeve with a square of muslin and strain the gin through it. Decant into clean, dry bottles, seal and label. It's ready to drink but will get better over time – it will keep for over a year – very funny!

Next – the story so far, a few photos.

The back catalogue – what to do with the Asian Plum Sauce

I know it's not rocket science – but the sauce screams stir fry so here it is :

Serves 2

300g chicken fillet, cut into thin strips

Use quorn fillet for a veggie option

1 dessertspoon of rapeseed oil

200g of julienne veggies – of your choice

spring onions, finely chopped

carrots

sweet peppers

sweetheart cabbage

1 tsp ginger

100ml of plum sauce

40g of cashews – chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

Serve with a side of kecap manis – aka sweet soy sauce

Before we begin – just in case you're not sure – julienne is a term that means your veggies should be cut into short thin strips – 1/8” wide if you want to be specific! You could use your trusted julienne peeler – that way you're certain to get a uniform “strip”.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan on high, add the chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a heatproof bowl.

Stir fry the veggies in the oil and ginger for 2/3 minutes, add the chicken and the plum sauce, cashews and soy and stir fry for a further 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

You can serve with rice or noodles, in either case they should be cooked and ready to serve. Place a portion in each bowl and then top with the stir fry.

Two notes :

If you've made your own plum sauce you may find it's a tad thin. You can thicken it, ahead, with arrowroot then set aside. Arrowroot thickens well – it also gives you a glossy shine and it has no taste so will not interfere with your sauce. Mix 1tsp with a drop of water, heat 100ml of sauce and then gradually add the arrowroot to thicken. Ready to use.

If you've not made your own sauce you could of course buy a ready made version!

Your julienne veggies are available in the supermarket so if you're feeling lazy then you can buy them ready to use. You might want to check – without being too finicky – that they are all of a similar size.

Next up … a treat that's not in the back catalogue - other than it contains damsons - so it qualifies!

The back catalogue – the best till last – Asian plum sauce

All the damson recipes given have one thing in common – they are “faff free”.

Here's another, this time for savoury dishes – could it be a stir fry this weekend?

Asian plum sauce

400g plums, stoned and quartered

50g demerara sugar

75ml (3fl oz) white wine vinegar

pinch of chilli flakes

1 whole star anise or ½ tsp of ground star anise

Cook for 20/25 minutes until the plums are soft. Leave to cool and then pass through a sieve and leave to cool. Box in portions to suit you then fridge or freeze. The recipe will give you 200ml of Asian Plum Sauce.

Here it is :

Ready for the freezer!

What to do with your sauce? Recipe up next ...

The back catalogue – an ice cream and a new crumble

This ripple ice cream became a great favourite – definitely worth repeating!

Damson Ripple Ice Cream

I lifted the outer skins from the roasted damsons in readiness for folding into the ice cream. I have a useful piece of kit a pair of small tongs – absolutely perfect for this task – quick and easy – you don't have to remove the outer skin – I just thought it would give a better finished “ripple” effect.

It goes without saying that the ice cream base is my old faithful no-churn vanilla (see the Ice Cream label and Ritzy Rhubarb Ripple which gives the recipe) plus 300g of roasted damsons. Make up the recipe as usual but ensure that it's a stiff consistency – you need to make allowance for the fact that you are adding the fruit and will therefore loosen the mixture.

Crumble topping

This is a new version of crumble. Crumble is personal, some like it soggy, others not.

For those who don't like that uncooked line of crumble you always seem to get when baking straight on top of the fruit, then this is for you!

Serves 6-8

depending on portion size!

120g cold unsalted butter, cubed

120g plain flour

60g caster sugar

60g demerara sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Using a large mixing bowl, add the flour and butter and rub in until you have fine breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and combine. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and leave to cool. Box and fridge when cool.

Here it is :

A buttery, biscuity crumble and no uncooked

layer in the middle!

Add to the fruit base when you're ready and pop into a pre-heated oven as above for 10 minutes.

Next up – the best till last.

The back catalogue – a couple of photos and the jam

The damsons - before and after photos :

Plumptious!

Eat me!

I served the “test run” cold with vanilla ice cream. Verdict – oh boy, yum – bring on the crumble!

A week later I harvested the next batch – another 7kg and for those who don't like metric measurements 1kg is equal to 2.2lbs in old money – it's time to call friends. There's no way I can keep pace with the volume and the tree is still loaded.

I gave away 4kgs together with recipe sheets and roasted my way through the remaining 3kgs – then transferred the treasure to the chest – freezer!

Time to take a breath!

Here's the jam recipe :

Damson jam

1kg damsons

300ml water

1kg jam sugar

Wash the damsons and remove any stalks. Place them in a large wide pan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is soft. Press the damsons against the side of the pan as they cook to help the fruit give up the stones. Use a slotted spoon to remove the stones from the pan.

Simmer the jam until it has reduced by approximately half.

Add the sugar, stir until dissolved. Bring the jam to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes until the jam sets when tested.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the scum with a slotted spoon. Pour into warmed sterilised jars, fill right to the top then cover immediately with waxed discs and cellophane tops or lids.

To test for a setting point you can be fancy and spend money if you like and buy a sugar thermometer, boiling the jam until it reaches 105c or, the old fashioned way, place a saucer in the fridge. When the jam has boiled for 5 minutes place a teaspoon of jam on the saucer and return it to the fridge. After a couple of minutes, run your finger through the jam, it should wrinkle and feel thicker. If it's runny then continue boiling and test again. Don't continue to cook the jam whilst testing – you can overcook it, so turn the heat down as low as it will go.

The jam will keep in a cool, dark place for up to a year – if it lasts that long!

You can buy jam sugar – here's what it looks like :

I wasn't hopeful when shopping – who knows these days what's available.

Joy of joys!

Next … a back catalogue ice cream and a new crumble.

The back catalogue – a diversion

Before I continue with more easy, make ahead al fresco picnic ideas I'm interrupting myself – I've been overtaken by events … the damson harvest.

To recap damsons are tiny sour plums too bitter to eat like you would a plum - but they do make great jam and other stuff too.

You have to be quick – those that fall - “windfalls” are easy prey for the wasps and bruise. The last good harvest was way back in August 2017 the yield has been so poor since there weren't enough to make a batch of jam or anything much else for that matter.

This year the tree is heaving and with the hot weather and intermittent storms I don't want to risk losing them.

Here's the tree :

Now is the time I'm grateful for my back catalogue stash of damson recipes!

The damsons are early this year. As a test run I picked a kilo of fruit the first week in August, left the damsons spread out on kitchen roll to ripen a little more and then begin cooking. If I had a tip at this early stage it would be to choose a recipe/dish that takes a kilo of damsons. You'll get fed up very quickly with looking at heaps of damsons. Bag them in kilos and fridge.

I began with my favourite damson recipe – roasting them. I halved the following recipe which took no time at all.

Roasting damsons

2kg plums – halved and stoned – prepped as suggested

150 caster sugar

Pre heat your oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6.

Toss the plum halves in the sugar and place in a large roasting tray – the one I used measures 42x30cms and 2.5cms deep.

Roast for 25/30 minutes until the fruit is soft.

Cover and leave to cool before using.

Cooking is personal - there are heaps of damson recipes out there but for me roasting suits my purpose since a crumble or a pie base is very popular in my house. They freeze well too so no waste!

Next up a couple of photos and the jam.

The back catalogue - Garlic roti

This recipe came from “Mildreds” - a vegetarian restaurant in Soho. Whilst it may not be safe and convenient for everyone to visit at the moment, I can confirm that as at today, it's open for business. For future reference Mildreds is at 45 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AN – www.mildreds.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you feel like treating yourself to their cookery book, Mildreds is the one! It's full and great ideas and recipes – what I also liked is that it gives you guidance on Gluten Free and Vegan options too.

Here's their recipe for Garlic Rotis :

20g unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or paste)

½ tsp dried chilli flakes (or a pinch of powder)

200g self raising flour (plus extra for dusting)

50g wholemeal self raising flour

80-100ml water

vegetable oil

Warm the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, add the garlic and chilli and cook, stirring, for a minute until the garlic begins to release its flavour but not coloured. Tip into a mixing bowl with the flours and gradually add the water, using a wooden spoon, until you have a moist (not sticky) dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and then cover with a clean damp cloth and leave to rise for 30 minutes until nearly doubled in size.

Divide into 8 pieces and form into balls. Dust with a little flour and then roll into thin circles of about 5mm (¼ inch) thick. Use a heavy based frying pan - add a drop of vegetable oil to grease. Cook the rotis on a medium heat – one at a time for 2-3 minutes each side until puffed up and brown. Serve immediately or cover with a clean tea towel and reheat in a low oven when needed.

I made them ahead and then reheated before serving and my only addition was to finish them off with a brush of melted butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt.

I hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends and that I've given you some ideas for food to share with everyone and have some fun!

More easy, make ahead al fresco/picnic ideas …