Excellent! Elderflowers - the first free harvest of the year - it really is the beginning of the season proper. Now that the weather is warming up (!) the hedgerows are bursting with blossoms and the elderflowers will soon be at their best. We have a recipe for the incomparable cordial that can be produced at almost no cost - and how often can you say that these days?

Seated in the ancient paved Italian courtyard, heated by the summer sunshine, shaded by the branches of the lemon tree, relaxed and deep in your own thoughts . . . well, not quite, but this beautiful Lemon liqueur is easy to make, impressive to serve, and makes a great gift. Try it and see.

You can't beat home made lemon curd, and with our easy to follow recipe, there's no reason not to give it a try. If you've got Caster Sugar, Lemons, Eggs and Butter . . . then you're ready to go . . .

It's a funny time in the preserving calendar - marmalade done and dusted, preserving juices are flowing and . . . .no fresh crops! So, we intend to bring you some recipes and techniques that are not season specific, and it would be good to use this time to hone some new skills. The first of these is Wholegrain Mustard with Beer - take a look. It is so easy to do and your nearest and dearest will be sooooo impressed. If you run a B & B or small hotel, what could be better than a little mustard jar business card? Let us know how you get on.

It only takes a few minutes to make a delicious pouring sauce for pancakes - it's so easy to make.

January and February is the typical Marmalade Making time of year. It's hard to beat the heady citrus smells that fill the kitchen - it is quite intense as the bitter Seville oranges are only around for a very short space of time. That urgency to get enough made before the fruit finishes is part of the appeal. The pleasure it gives throughout the rest of the year is worth the effort and once you have made marmalade you will never want to eat shop-bought again!

We are are pleased to announce our exciting FreeTree scheme »

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