Preserves

The term mincemeat originated in the fifteenth century, when chopped meat was preserved with a combination of dried fruit, sugar and...

Prep 15mins Cook 12hrs

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This is also known as officer's jam but it's really not a jam at all. The German name, Rumtopf, seems far more appropriate for what is...

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This variation on the classic lemon curd is tart, sweet, rich and completely delicious. The curd doesn t keep for very long once opened, so...

Prep 10mins Cook 40mins

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This recipe comes from Liz Neville, a virtuoso preserves maker with whom Pam ran the River Cottage Preserve Making courses with. You can...

Prep 10mins Cook 30mins

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We like to spoon chestnut jam into meringue nests and top with cream. Or stir a spoonful or two into chocolate mousse, or dollop on to...

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There are probably hundreds of recipes for chorizo. Throughout Spain, and indeed Mexico, families have been handing down their own recipes...

Prep 2hrs40mins

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There are few better partnerships than pork and apple. There are even fewer better than pork and cider, a bit of old English alchemy. This...

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This recipe is taken from The Book of Preserves by Pam the Jam. Courgettes are magnificently prolific, which makes them good value when...

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From shrinking violets found in April, nestling in sheltered corners, to late summer’s bounty of sensuous garden lavender, many flowers can...

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Soft, sweet and unctuous, these gorgeous sweet-sour onions are more forgiving than traditional ‘naked’ pickled onions. Spiced up with the...

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The sweetly scented, creamy-white flowers of the elder tree appear in abundance in hedgerows, scrub, woodlands and wasteland at the...

Cook 10mins

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Pam welcomes the first tiny gooseberries that appear in the month of May, just as the first boughs of elderflower are beginning to show...

Prep 10mins Cook 15mins

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A deliciously warming autumnal evening meal.

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Flavoured vinegars are very useful additions to the store cupboard as their distinctive flavours can revolutionise a simple salad dressing...

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This recipe is by Rachel De Thample, Preserves tutor and author of the upcoming River Cottage Fermentation Handbook. It is a really...

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A fruit cheese is simply a solid, sliceable preserve - and the princely quince, with its exquisite scent and delicately grainy texture...

Prep 30mins Cook 1hrs

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The perfect refreshment on a sunny spring day when fresh rhubarb in season from our preserves and fermentation tutor. Making your own...

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I was asked to host some Victorian preserving workshops in a walled garden with an orchard near my house and discovered that apple jam was...

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Pam loves the sweet, earthy flavour of beetroot and hates to see it swamped in strong tasting vinegar, as so often happens. This light...

Prep 20mins Cook 2hrs

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This method of curing meat is perhaps the oldest. The meat is allowed to ferment and dry out over a period of time, resulting in a form of...

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Lucy Brazier, our Christmas Hamper Course tutor here at River Cottage, shares her hedgerow version of the Saucy Haw Ketchup adapted from...

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The bitter Seville orange is the most traditional and arguably the finest marmalade fruit of all. Only available for a few short weeks...

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Here’s my favourite jam. Of course I love all the jams in this book but I make this one most often – it’s super-easy, quick, highly fruity...

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When Pam made preserves for a living, she tried all kinds of curds, from orange to passion fruit, but none of them was ever quite as...

Prep 10mins

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Dandelion greens might be known for their bitterness but the Fermentation process mellows this beautifully. I love adding dandelion petals...

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This is one of Pam's favourite ways to capture the earthy flavour of rhubarb. It's a plant that contains very little pectin so the jam...

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This is one of those marvellous recipes that you’ll turn to again and again. Try it once and you’ll see how easy it is to play around with...

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We're big fans of fridge jams - preserves made with roughly half the sugar of conventional jams. They have a lovely, loose, tender set and...

Prep 10mins Cook 1hrs

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This recipe, with its raisins and spices, is a play on carrot cake. I love it spread on buttered toast but you can serve it with yoghurt...

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I love a Bramley compote. Silky and translucent, golden green, tart and unbelievably appley. And so many ways to enjoy it, from old school...

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