Champagne Adds Fab

Yours truely amongst the vines!

Bonjour Wild Cooks

Here’s an entry from over the channel! Yes, even the wildest of cooks likes a little luxury! No, I’m not talking about a night in one of Rudding Park’s deluxe beds … but a taste of the sparkling wonder that is Champagne.

Reims in France was my destination and I am pictured here checking out the grapes growing on the vines.

Checking out the vines

Champagne is grown from three grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – pictured are some hanging in the Organic vineyards of Benoir.

Growing Grapes

It reminds me of an old family joke -

“What were Tarzans last words?
Who greased that vine!”

Bad, I know, so moving swiftly on …

The Elderflowers were hanging in the trees over there, so it got me to thinking that Elderflowers will soon be out in the UK. So here is a quick, easy way of making a great spring/summer jelly using both Champagne and Elderflowers:

Elderflower and Champagne Jelly Recipe

A bit more like it ...!

Happy foraging!

Steph, Chef Sauvage

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The Darling buds of May….

Dear Wild Cooks

No recipes today, just some photos to whet your appetite, as the end produce is not yet ready!  But if you’re anything like me, you’ll find that spring sets your taste buds tingling with the anticipation of the fruits to come. 

In the meantime, I thought you might appreciate a few photos of the wonders that will be:

Gooseberry bushes – no storks and no babies!
Blackcurrant bushes – amazing and the leaves taste of Blackcurrant too!

Darling Buds of May

Inspecting the buds

Up close and personal

It is refreshing to see the Darling Buds of May … Do you agree? I’m looking forward to the fruits arriving though!

Steph x

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A Pie for All Seasons …

Well folks, the old adage of ‘who ate all the pies’ is a classic and some great friends of mine from Hellifield have helped me produce a pie chart with a difference …

You will get berry madness within a golden pastry coat that will make your mouth water and give you a feel good factor that will embrace you all over.

Try our fail safe recipe for the pie pastry and cook the berry of your choice in this pietastic paste.

This Pie chart will change a little depending on the weather and where you are in Great Brittan. Do you other wild cooks have a tip we can share with our readers?

 

Fruit Pie

Pietastic pie chart

Making sense of the berries and fruits in season …

January -  Forced Rhubarb

February - More of the same

March - End of the forced rhubarb

April - Outdoor rhubarb is thinking about it!

May - Outdoor rhubarb all over the place, but best in Yorkshire (biased as always!)

May/June - Goose gogs Wild Cooks – no gooseberry fools in this
pie kitchen. Gooseberries that are prickly and tart go great guns in a pie.

June - Redcurrants/Strawberries – oh what fun Wimbledon and Strawberries – love 30!

July - Blackcurrants

August - Raspberries, Tayberries and Logan berries

September - Plums very plumy plum plum!

October - Blackberries and Apples – remember there are different types of apple coming into season throughout different months.

November - No pies we are full!

December - Mince pies … that is it!

Pie pastry recipe

Steph Moon

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Jerseys off – Jerseys on!

Calling all you Wild Cooks …

As the weather gets warmer we no longer need to wear our Jerseys! We do however need to put the Jersey Royals on to boil whilst they are bursting with springtime flavour – you know it makes sense!

Why not try this Spring corker of a dish? Jersey Royals are royal by name and royal by nature – I try not to write until I see the food with my own eyes on the shelf or, better still in the field, but they are out there people and they are bullets of springtime joy …

Steph Moon

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