Green, hairy and particularly tart they may be but a British gooseberry must not be forgotten! There has been quite a bit of publicity about the demise of the lovely gooseberry particularly in relation to the newer upstart, the blueberry and I am a little worried for our neglected "Goose Gob' (our childhood name for the gooseberry).
Summer could never be the same without them as they bring a welcome tartness to foods, which has been the responsibility of rhubarb and cooking apples until this point on the calendar. No more Gooseberry Fools, pies, crumbles and creams, and what will the oily mackerel do without a big dollop of tarty compote on the side; it has no better partner?
Time for action. Out I go, and you too to buy (or if you are lucky, pick) a few punnets and get cooking.
It's such a shame but the asparagus season is slowly winding down with only a few weeks left to enjoy. There's still plenty around so I am cooking and eating as much as I can and today heading to the asparagus farm to buy more.
My local farmer has gorgeous big, fat spears for sale but often also has a box at the back full of twisted, mishapen ones. These are the ones I am after today, not only are they much cheaper, these are the ones I can cook now for eating later in the year.
It is best to eat the tips now to enjoy them at their best then preserve the rest of the stalk as you can see in these simple recipes for eating later in the year.
How to Preserve Asparagus
The years roll on and I still miss my Dad every day, Father's Day this weekend is always poignant for me. If you are sharing Father's Day this weekend with your Dad then give him a really special gift by cooking for him. He'll love it.
