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In 1993 as part of my Women’s Institute Preservation Certificate, I was asked to make a batch of candied pineapple using tinned fruit. At that time, tinned fruit in syrup was stocked widely by supermarkets. Today in the UK, fruit is routinely canned in juice or “light syrup.”
Discovering Damsons, Damson Jelly and Cheese
I must confess to having a love affair with damsons. With their blue-black skin and astringent/sweet flavour they are a firm favourite. Of all the stone fruits available to the preserver, the damson is the maestro.
Save Our WI Judges
For many large organisations, a mission statement states its overall aim. On their website, The National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) says their mission is “To create a world where women come together to learn, share skills and work together to become active citizens, influencing change to improve lives in their local, national and global communities.”
Marmalade: The rise and fall of the Seville orange
For me, marmalade is my favourite preserve to make and eat. It’s a skill set I never tire of replicating and sharing with others.
I enjoy the process of making enriched breads with added sugar, milk, butter, and often a sourdough starter.
In 1948 when my Mother got married, women automatically stopped working, and her employer, Good Housekeeping Magazine, gave her a pressure cooker as a leaving present.
With a few months to wait until Seville oranges are available in the shops, how would you like to develop your skills, learning how to make marmalade with all year round citrus and have some fresh marmalade suitable to gift during the festive season?
Kitty and Al Tait Breadsong: How Baking Changed our Lives.
Earlier this year I was invited to judge a category of the Guild of Food Writers’ Book Awards. I was reminded of the years spent as a librarian buying non fiction titles for public libraries. Would evaluating cookery books, forty five years later demand a different set of skills?
Devonshire Splits and Raspberry& Chocolate Jam Masterclass ,
Thursday 16th June at 6.30PM, planned to last up to 90 minutes.
Preserves Masterclasses 2023
I taught my last face to face preserves class in February 2020, unaware that the following two years would see the closure of Denman College, where I taught the majority of preserving courses and other venues forced to close for months at a time due to COVID restrictions.