Kat lives in Fife and is passionate about seasonality, local produce and home cooking
Colours of summer
We are only a week away from the Summer Solstice – it is perhaps not surprising that people traditionally celebrate this festival with round, sun coloured foods. This got me thinking about a conversation I had recently about red gooseberries. The popularity of these summer fruits is often overshadowed by strawberries and raspberries, but their taste is definitely not.
Last weekend, we took advantage of the summer’s early sunrises. I had had a request from my youngest to go elderflower foraging, in our pyjamas, before breakfast, and make cordial. Although I knew it would be an impossible feat to have the syrup ready before breakfast time, it was difficult to resist the look on her face, so we set off foraging just before 7am.
I went on the hunt for a recipe that would pair these two summer ingredients. My favourite option was a red gooseberry and elderflower jam, because you can use a bottle of pre-made elderflower cordial to replace the water needed to cook the gooseberries, and therefore forget any slight mismatch in ripeness. The sticky crimson jam, with a floral twang, is a unique taste of summer – hopefully some of the jars will last long enough to be enjoyed during the darker part of the year.
Music to cook to
Sinnerman by Nina Simone, which is used in the film the Thomas Crown affair, is one of my all time favourite songs.
