The end of the road; The Road to the Royal

My personal journey on the Road to the Royal took just over 6 weeks. It included a lot of well timed conversations with farmers to ensure I received the fruit I wanted at the peak of freshness. It involved a lot of patience, straining, skimming, measuring, stirring, boiling, testing and hoping.

It also included a little trial and error because I wanted to ensure that each jar I submitted was 'Royal worthy'. In the 6 weeks, I turned down fruit that were over ripe even though I could have paid less for the produce. I carefully measured head space and patiently waited for the rolling boil I knew I needed to ensure set.

I made decisions on which recipes I would use and which preserves I would enter. I ended up entering 7 categories, which sounds like a lot but is really only a small fragment of the categories that I could have entered. I didn't even consider the pickle category, not because I don't make a fine pickle but because I wanted to focus my efforts on jams, jellies and marmalades.

On Friday, I finally delivered my preserves to the Royal Agricultural Show Office, which was a hive of activity. I knew it would be with the show just 2 weeks away. I was taken into the back room, where we unpacked my boxes and checked each entry off the list. The table tops were covered with jar after jar of maple syrup and lots and lots of jam.

As I walked out of the office, feeling lighter than when I went in I tried to imagine what Judging day looked like. I would love to one day be on the other side of the fence. Getting to taste all of those magnificent entries.

Yesterday the judges spoke. All decisions are final. No matter where I place, I am happy to have travelled this road. Now there is nothing left to do but wait.

What to do when a jelly doesn't set

 One of the best tips that I learned in my early jelly making days when I would struggle AGAIN and AGAIN with achieving set is one that I sadly had to use on a semi-regular basis when I first started making jelly.

You have a couple of options when the dream jelly you are making doesn't set and instead continues to slosh around in the jar even after the water bath and cool down period.

1) You can get really angry and open each and every jar and pour the contents down the drain (been there, done that).

2) You can decide that even though it is runny you just don't have the energy to do anything further with it and use it as a spread for pancakes, stir it into your yogourt or add it to fruit shakes. This was a personal favourite of mine way back when.

3) You can reprocess the jars and actually achieve the set you meant to get the first time. Now this option tended to be one that I personally avoided like the plague. Mostly because I hate doing something twice. I hate turning back if I forgot something at home...I simply hate doubling back.

But that being said, there is a time and place for everything and sometimes you just want your damn jelly to set. If that is the case, then these simple steps will save the day.

- Empty the contents of each jar into a similar sized pot as you used the first time you screwed up the jelly

- Over low heat (keep stirring) until the jelly melts down and is soft and fluid once again.

- Add 3 tbsp sugar, 1.5 tsp lemon juice for each 250ml jar of jelly that you are re-heating. Keep over the heat and continue stirring until all of the sugar dissolves.

- Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to med-high and bring the jelly back up to a rolling boil. Then stir in 1.5 tsp of liquid pectin for each 250ml jar of jelly that you are re-heating. Continue stirring until the jelly reaching that same rolling boil and boil for 1 minute.

- Skim off any foam, jar and water bath as per the first time.

Quince Honey Farm Giveaway

I have a few favourite things when it comes to the North Devon Countryside. It is hard not to get caught up in the stories your imagination begins to weave as you look out across the rolling countryside; soaking up the beauty of the hedgerows, old stone homes and history that seems to be woven into the very soil of the place.

South Molton is a farming village, so the landscape is also peppered with sheep, cows and if you know where to look - bee hives.

It is a place where you know people live off the land - and that is what I love most of all.

The Quince Honey Farm is a family run business that has been around for more than 60 years. Across the North Devon countryside they have more than 1500 hives nestled in amongst the abundance of Devon Wild Flowers. But the Quince Honey Farm does something interesting with their bees. In August when the North Devon countryside has no more clover for the bees to feed on all 1500 hives are moved up to Exmoor National Park, so that the bees can take advantage of the acres and acres of heather that is readily available.

They load approximately 200 hives a night onto pallets on a forklift and in the darkness relocate them to the moors. It sounds like back breaking work, but the result of this labour is delicious.

Not only does Quince Honey Farm produce magnificent honey, they also have a very informative exhibition called Bee World. Housed within Bee World are numerous educational exhibits that show everything from the process used to harvest the honey from the hives, to how they bottle it, to numerous examples of live bee hives in everything from post office boxes to chimneys.

We sampled several of the different honey's produced and if you know me at all, you know I have never really liked honey. So I really took one for the team here ;).

I purchased a jar of our favourite which was Devon Heather Honey and I brought it back so I could share it with one of you. Want a chance to taste what Heather found on the Moors of Northern Devon countryside does to Honey? Just share your favourite way to use honey right here or on my facebook page. A random winner will be selected on Friday, October 25th.

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Jammy gift boxes

In just a few short days I will be hopping on a plane headed to Jolly Ol' England to visit my husband's 96 year old gran who lives in North Devon in a quaint little town called South Molton.

I lived in England for a year many moons ago, so England is filled with fond memories of things like the Glastonbury Music Festival, going back stage to meet bands like Suede, Shed Seven and Blur. And it is where I fell madly and truly in love with tea. It also made me a bit of a tea 'snob'. Yes, I can openly and without shame admit that tea that comes in a bag and is labelled Tetley or Red Rose, really isn't tea. My tea must be loose leaf and of high quality. What can we say - we all have our weaknesses.

In England, tea seems to be the answer to all of lifes little problems. Just spent an hour in your car when the drive should have only taken 10 minutes - sit down and have a cup of tea. Have an awful day at work - let me make you a nice hot cup of tea.

So when I got to thinking about what I could take Grandma Betty as a little gift all my ideas revolved around tea and of course Manning Canning.

I will be adding these little jammy gift boxes to my holiday gift boxes that are available. You can mix and match which 4 products you want in the box according to your personal desires. Each box will sell for between $18-25 depending on product chosen.

And of course, Grandma Betty will be getting a box with 4 spare jars of jam, so when she has the ladies over for tea and a pastry of their choice, they will have a selection of Manning Canning jams and jellies to choose from. I think it is the perfect little gift idea.

Family Feud - pickled onions

I fear to this question that there really is no 'right' answer. But yet I must ask it anyhow.

Is my husband's grans recipe for pickled onions better than my Aunt's recipe for pickled onions?

It has been an on-going arguement or shall I say 'discussion' in my house for as long as the phrase pickled onions was muttered between my husband and I.

We have both had the honour of tasting both recipes and we are at a complete and total stalemate. So this summer, I pickled over 90lbs of silverskin onions and am now going to officially ask one of you readers to be the tie breaker.

One recipe uses white vinegar and cinnamon while the other recipe uses malt vinegar and pickling spices. Which is James' grans recipe and which is my aunt's? I can't tell you that for fear it would sway your taste buds opinion.

Now all you need to do is volunteer to be the tie breaker and what will happen next will surprise and delight you. If you are randomly selected, I will deliver (via post or in person) a 500ml jar of both versions of the pickles and all you have to do is try them over and over again repeatedly until the jar is empty or pretty darn close to it. At this point in time, all I ask is for you to tell me your thoughts about each and whether or not you have a preference. I would never put you in the uncomfortable position of having to choose one over the other. Unless of course, one is so much better than the other that you have an obvious favourite.

Sound like something you and your tastebuds could handle? Well then, just comment below or on my facebook page and the rest will be down to chance.