Jams - Sweet and Savoury

Well its been that time of year again, when I get the urge to make jam.  Its been a good year for berries and our blackcurrant bushes have done us proud despite the heavy snow in March (remember that?) bringing the cast iron guttering down from the garage against which the bushes grow and flattening half of them.

This year I made blackcurrant liqueur from half of the berries and jam from the rest.  The liqueur will be ready by the end of the year so its good to have the jam to enjoy now.

I have also bought chilli plants from the supermarket the last couple of years which keep me in chillies for most of the year.  They dry really well and I make an amazing Chilli Jam courtesy of a recipe from Nigella, whilst they are fruiting at their best.

I bottled some of it up in these small jars which are perfect as gifts.  It tastes really good with meats and is particularly good with cheese.

The blackberry's are abundant this year so as soon as the apples get a little bigger there will be pies and of course more jam!!  The pears are pretty abundant this year too so I'm looking forward to finding interesting recipes for those too - although I'll have to get in fast as there are some rather large black birds enjoying them at the moment......

Well enough of all this domesticity I really must see what the shops are offering in the way of Autumn fashion, see you soon, thanks for reading.

Wonderful Lake Garda

This summer we holidayed at Limone on Lake Garda in Italy.  We have enjoyed a number of holidays in the region but last visited about 14 years ago. I was a little apprehensive, its always a bit scary revisiting somewhere you loved after such a long time - will it have changed for the worse?  Well I'm happy to say it was just as beautiful as we remembered it.  Fabulous scenery, amazing food, and real Italian ice cream in every flavour under the sun!  Our hotel was in the perfect position, about 25 minutes walk from the centre of Limone, on the edge of the lake with its own private beach.  The picture below is the view from our balcony.  It was wonderful to wake up to such a fabulous view every morning and to know that you have nothing to do all day but enjoy the beauty of your surroundings and no decision harder than what to have for your next meal!!

Not a bad view to wake up to hey!

The Hotel was called the Panorama and you can see why.  It was really comfortable and our room was probably the cleanest I have ever stayed in.

  

We took a couple of trips on the lake to other towns but mainly just chilled as we really needed the rest.

It will not be another 14 years before we visit again thats for sure.  Meanwhile we are living on the memories.

Have a great day x

Best of Intentions!

Well, after a long break, I confidently said I would be back to regular blogging.  Ha! I was immediately struck down with the worst virus I've had in an age. So after surfacing from under the covers I am now giving myself over to the gentle ministrations of those caring gents Ben and Jerry.

And found this great container on Anthropologie which I think will enhance the experience even more.  It's a bit pricy, but perfect for enjoying your ice cream a tub at a time - yes I know I'm greedy.

So I'm hoping that I will be able to get back on track soon x