City Cottage 4 | Page 18

Bah “Hamper” Humbug

Let me talk Christmas to you…. I know it is only November or, as I write this- October!! But as a seasoned, no pun intended, preserver I have been quietly preparing for Christmas all year. Sometimes without even realising. I have been doing this for years, without really recognising what I was doing. The very straightforward reason lays in yet another confession I have to make to you…. I am addicted to jamming and preserving. I first fell into the habit around eight years ago.

Jayne Hickling, host of the Facebook site Allotment Cooks, starts to plan through gifts for Christmas

It was all the fault of the summer season’s pick you own. Having, at the time, a four year old with a love of fruit- off we went to the local pick your own strawberry field. Many strawberries were picked- yet another confession- some didn’t make it to the weighing and paying point! So much joy and pleasure had been found in the seeking and picking of fruit, that before we realised what we had done a fair few pounds of fruit lay gloriously in our oversized cardboard baskets. What was to be done? And that’s when it started…

The jamming… large quantities of sugar was purchased. Old odd jars were dug out of their hiding places from the back of cupboards and ten jars of beautiful strawberry jam were born. Along with a fixation I have been unable and unwilling to break. This was quickly followed by the absolute NEED to purchase a preserving pan. The old kitchen saucepans would not be enough to feed the new obsession in my life. This was shortly followed by the sourcing and purchasing of hundreds of jam jars. I was well and truly jammed into jamming. The strawberry season was followed by raspberries and blackberries and apples. But I had jars to fill. Lots of jars which were waiting to be filled. And that was when I moved into hardcore chutney making. Pumpkin Chutney, Apple Chutney, Onion Chutney and when the mustard really hit the fan… Piccalilli.

Before I had realised that my jamming and chutneying (if such a exists, if not- it should!) had become a “problem” I had already created more than one hundred jars. I had a problem. A big problem, for the only person in my household who would eat any of these deliciously and lovingly and, perhaps, crazed creations- would be me! By this time, the middle of November had arrived and I had just created my most prized and loved chutney- Cranberry Chutney! This gave me a plan.

A get out of jam free card… Christmas! Joy, Bon Noel, The best time of the year… for giving.