Trying out new recipes and foreign foods is fun. But sometimes, cookery writers assume that we already know it all. Have you ever picked up a recipe that sort of started in the middle? That instructed you to Take a pound of suet crust pastry only for you to wonder where to get hold of some or how to make it yourself?
Isn't it endlessly frustrating when that happens?
I love researching and trying out very old recipes and I find that even the likes of Mrs Beeton assume a certain level of cookery skills.
But these days, when many of us don't cook for a living, some of that old knowledge is certainly missing. And sometimes we all need a little help in the kitchen.
So, in this section I've put together guides for some of the most common cookery questions I'm being asked. I'll try and cover whatever comes up from queries on making tea to making elderberry jam or ice cream or gravy or fudge ... Just spin through the list for whatever guide you need.
Making jam is enjoyable and a good way to make the most of fruit when
it's plentiful and cheap or - as in the case of wild blackberries -
entirely free. Picking blackberries and turning them into crumbles,
cakes and jam has to be one of the great pleasures of late summer. And
here's how you turn them into jam...
As you can see, we've already collected a goodly collection of English food and cookery guides. And there are plenty more on the way. So please, keep checking back frequently. And if there's some English recipe that defeates your cookery skills, simply drop me a line.
Return to the recipe section for other great English dishes.