03-05-2012, 03:34 PM
31
Re: Jams, Jellies and Chutneys
Originally Posted by Cookiecate
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Well I have bought and used 100kilos of sugar from Tesco plus some brown sugars that I use for chutneys. I can only guess but our spare room is looking full.
03-05-2012, 09:37 PM
33
Re: Jams, Jellies and Chutneys
Originally Posted by Cookiecate
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My neighbours are beginning to call around to buy pots of jam, strawberry seems to be the favourite. I am on the prowl for cheaper fruit. I notice that Lidl have strawberries on sale on Saturday and Sunday for 99p.
03-05-2012, 11:37 PM
34
Re: Jams, Jellies and Chutneys
Yes indeed, I have a lovely greengrocer lady who is really helpful with fruit and veg. At the moment strawberries are still quite expensive and so is rhubarb and even the greengrocers find it difficult to get at a good price. I think places like Aldi and Lidl bring stuff over from Europe where it is probably cheaper.My next step is beetroot chutney it is lovely and earthy and I shall get a bag of them to cook and then turn them into a lovely red chutney.
Tried out a lime curd today. Using four eggs, 50grams of butter, caster sugar and the juice and grated rind of two juicy limes. Oh gosh it is good,I really don't want to sell it. I will make some orange and lemon curd with the same recipe and the microwave it is just delicious.
22-05-2012, 09:47 AM
37
Re: Jams, Jellies and Chutneys
So 3am Sunday 20th May 2012 arrived and off went the alarm for me to get up. Finally the day that we had both been working towards had arrived. No more cooking, hemming, label making or jam pot washing we had arrived.We were on the road for Blackburn at 5am all three of us still a little sleepy but some strong coffee worked a treat and our spirits began to rise as we looked forward to our day at Nigel Howarth's Fantastic Food Show at Ewood Park.
We started putting up the marquee as soon as we arrived about 6am and gradually other exhibitors arrived and began to put up their own stalls. We were surrounded we felt by professionals who knew exactly what they were doing and just got on with it. It was daunting but everyone was cheerful and friendly and we felt right at home.
The jams, chutneys, relishes, marmalades and jellies were finally arranged in pretty displays. I have to say that I looked on with awe as my husband made things look really good. Suddenly it was 10am and the people started to arrive.
It was just like a dream people arrived at our stall smiling and full of congratulations on how lovely our stall was. I am not saying that everyone bought a pot of anything but even avid jam haters looked at our stall and were impressed. Everyone was congratulated on the work that had gone into the making and displaying.
The show was a magnificent success. All the stalls did well from cups of coffee to zebra burgers, wine tasting to bee keeping, bread making, wood carving, kipper smoking they were all there and people loved it.
Of course my greatest moment was when Nigel Haworth came and tried my pickled red cabbage believe it or not folks he was impressed and brought along his photograper and there I was being photographed with my hero and my jar of pickled cabbage.
The Food Channel then sent along a reporter who spoke to my husband for ages, when he left he said that he would be in touch to do an interview with me in my kitchen.
Then the newspapers arrived and took pictures of me, my stall and my display. It was all a dream.
Towards the end a very nice man came along and began asking about my jams, what were my favourites he asked. Suddenly I grabbed his hand I know you I said, what an honour to meet you Aldo Zilli, he laughed and carried on talking about jam. He took two jars and went on his way leaving me almost in tears.
You may think this is strange behaviour for an over fifties lady but people like Nigel Haworth, Atul Kocher, Aldo Zilli are my heros, they are chefs who started at the bottom and worked up to what they are now.
The have chopped onions and cried they have scrubbed pans when they were just so tired they nearly fell asleep in the dish water they are what I always wanted to be but life took me off in different directions.
I can tell you that even a lady who is over sixty can have a brilliant experience like this if they go out and look for it.
We are now looking forward to going again next year, but work must start on our stall and product for our next show in June.
We learned a lot on Sunday we had made mistakes and we were not as organised as we should have been but it was a success and a day I will never forget.
Are you still on a high 
22-05-2012, 11:45 AM
40
Re: Jams, Jellies and Chutneys
I am still flying high. Of course the smoothie jam is here waiting for you. Yes, I wish you could have been there to share our pleasure, but maybe next year.Lynne I would love to rest but as we are still rolling high we are sorting and talking about our next show which is 16th 17th June and it is totally different as it is a Steam Rally which will run all day into the evening and then all the following day again. Should be really tired after that but at the moment I am INVINCABLE lol
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