Gooseberry Wine 2020 - First Bottle (6), 21st February 2021

Claire requested a wine that was white and sharp and nice. Though I ran through a few options that fulfilled two of the three, the end result as always going to be Gooseberry. I am also being trained by Claire to break my rule of waiting a year before having the first bottle of anything. Her argument is that if the wine is nice at the point of bottling, why wait any longer? As always, she has a point.

This gooseberry wine was fabulous - white and sharp and nice.

The day had been a typical Sunday - make a cake in the morning (Cranberry Bread - a total success) and go for a local walk in the afternoon. Happily the gang of threatening looking teenagers I encountered down an alleyway merely said "Hello" rather than mug me.

Cranberry Bread

The recipe.

If you want to see how this wine was made, click here.

Strawberry Wine 2019 - Second Bottle (3), 23rd September 2020

Wednesday was a Good Day. Work was sufficiently quiet (a calm before the storm) that I got to spend an hour with Darren, chatting in his kitchen (only partly about work) and then I went to the office for the first time since March to collect post, stationery and cheques. It was oddly unexceptional to visit my desk again. In the evening I opened this bottle of strawberry wine to drink with the Egg & Pepper Thing, and it was as good a bottle as it always is: cold, dry and tasting of strawberries. Finishing it on a Wednesday may have been an error.

Taken on 23 September
Dark mornings and autumn are upon us.

The Egg and Pepper Thing

This is one of our fairly regular meals, and is dead easy (though is not quick). Get a large frying pan. Heat some olive oil (a tablespoon or so), and briefly fry some cumin seeds and chillies (seeds or flakes). Add a whole sliced onion (thinly sliced in halves) and cook for a while until it has gone soft and is browning. I often start with the lid on the frying pan to help it cook, and then take that off to help it brown. Add a crushed clove of garlic whilst cooking the onion. As the onion is close to being done, add two thinly sliced peppers of whatever colour you fancy. Cook those for a while until soft-ish. Then add a handful or two of chopped tomatoes (or three handfuls - I don't think you can have too many). When the tomatoes have cooked a bit, so that it is all quite liquid, add a dash of stock or half a stock cube, and stir around. When it all looks cooked, create four spaces within the frying pan (make a 'cross' with the vegetables, leaving four holes) and crack an egg into each one. When the egg whites are solid, the meal is made. This really is more than the sum of its parts.

Gooseberry 2019 - Second Bottle (6), 24th May 2020

Chris posted on Facebook that he had dusted off the Family Recipe Cookbook and made pineapple chicken. Claire suggested that I do the same whilst she was at work on Sunday, and that we would need a sharp white to go with it. The recipe was remarkably easy, and very 1970s. I spiced it up with an orange pepper, garlic and a couple of chillies, and the result was delicious. It may become a regular dish rather than something remembered vaguely from childhood. Gooseberry wine was exactly the right choice: bone dry, distinctly gooseberry and, as wanted, sharp.

Taken on 24 May: Shadows of 

Leaves on a Birch Tree

Pineapple Chicken

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sherry

1 tblsp sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp cold water

1 tblsp corn flour

4 tblsp pineapple juice

1 or 2 celery stalks

1 onion

1 pepper

Clove or two of garlic

A chilli or two

4 tblsp olive oil

4 slices canned pineapple

1 lb chicken pieces (cubes)

Marinate chicken in cornflour, water, salt, sharry, soy sauce for half an hour. Slice celery diagonally, onion and peppers lengthwise, chop chillies (leaving in such seeds as you dare), crush garlic and saute them in the oil until they look about right. My recipe says 2 mins, but that sounds like a ridiculously short time. Add in the chicken until brown. Slice the pineapple in wedges and add with sugar and juice. Simmer until thoroughly heated. Serve hot with rice.

Blackberry Wine 2016 - Fifteenth Bottle (B1), 25th May 2019

It pays to have low expectations. This bottle of wine, bearing that adage in mind, was rather good. Blackberry 2016 has been a catalogue of disappointment, but this bottle was somehow better. It had a full blackberry flavour and was more full bodied than anticipated. We drank it to the Egg and Pepper Thing - Claire asked me to cook and rather doing a Something New And Possibly Exciting, I returned to an old favourite. It is delicious though, and far more than the sum of its parts.

Of course we spent the evening watching Line of Duty

This is not the Egg and Pepper Thing

Recipe for the Egg and Pepper Thing

Slice an onion, a red pepper and another colour pepper thinly and fry them in a large frying pan in olive oil, until soft

During this process put in a clove of crushed garlic and a sliced chilli (remove some or all seeds to taste)

Also during this process, but sometime later, add in chopped tomatoes

Keep frying until it is all soft and looks like a ratatouille

Make four spaces in the pan - as if creating a cross with the vegetable mixture.

Into each of the spaces, crack open an egg and drop it in (trying not to break the yolk)

Keep cooking until done

Cover in coriander

Serve with cous cous or whatever.

Cath Wadsworth's Damson Wine - 8th August 2018

How irritating! Cath Wadsworth's damson wine was delicious on first taste and rather better than most the wine I make. It was rounded and fruity, clear and attractive in colour. I have been given the recipe - 3 lbs damsons and 3 lbs sugar for a single batch. Once our damson tree produces enough fruit for both jam and wine (so far we haven't had a single damson, but it is only two years old) I will give this flavour a go. I'll cut down on the sugar, though. This wine fell very much into the dessert-wine category, and so a bottle between two would be a bit much. Emma (the wine-maker's daughter) has now earned her spot as "Best Colleague Ever" and can secure this place by bringing me more of her mother's wine.

Strawberry Wine - Fourth Bottle (5), 8th May 2018

This bottle of wine was converted into a cocktail, which I named 'Ben's Surprise', the surprise being that it was better than drinkable. Into each of nine glasses I put a dessert spoon of pureed strawberries, then equal measures of strawberry wine and prosecco, followed by a garnish of chopped strawberries. It has been inspired by a cocktail Rachel drank at lunchtime in Hix's Fish & Oyster House. A proper summery drink and an entirely suitable use of strawberry wine.

'Ben's Surprise' in the making

Inca Berry & Raisin Wine - First Bottle (4), 18th-19th January 2018

I had feared the worst for this wine. It was made only tick off a letter and there was no way that it would even be drinkable. Therefore, it is with some astonishment that I can report it is actually really rather good. Inca Berry & Raisin is a dark golden colour and has a solid wine taste (I suspect that will be the raisins). Claire is less enthusiastic, describing the wine as 'Inoffensive' and 'One step below nice'. We raised our glasses to Adam, for the idea, and drank to lamb chops and chips. I cooked - and the food (if I do say so) was excellent. The lamb was marinated in olive oil, a crushed clove of garlic, a teaspoon of sea salt, a good deal of ground pepper and a dollop of chilli paste. Claire insisted that I make a record of what I did. Behold the record!

If you want to see how I made this wine, click here

Ugli Fruit Wine - Third Bottle (2), 26th October 2017

Thursday is not normally a 'whole bottle of wine' evening, particularly if I am planning to walk to work the following day. All I can say is 'oops'.

In fact, Claire continues to have a difficult time with the university's HR departments and felt in need of half a bottle of wine. We were having fish and a citrus wine always goes well with that, so I extracted a bottle of Ugli Fruit. I think it is lighter in taste than Orange wine but they are definitely similar. The fish dish was invented by Claire from what we have in the fridge and was so good that she has recorded the recipe in her Little Red Book.

Fish Lairs [sic]

Par boil some slices of potato and leek
Mix slices of potato and leek with cream, salt, pepper and lots of garlic
Put fish fillets on top
Put slices of lemon on top
Put slices of courgette/marrow (aka zucchini) on top
Put herbs on top
Drizzle olive oil on top
Bake about 200 degrees C until done

Delicious and nutritious.

Rhubarb Wine - Seventh Bottle (B3), 23rd September 2017

I have discovered that Claire thinks my onion cooking technique is poor. Apparently I don't let them fry for long enough - particularly when making Boursin Noodles. My bacon cooking technique also has room for improvement. With this in mind, and a glass of rhubarb wine to hand, I made sure the onions were meltingly soft and that there was some browning to the bacon for the evening meal. We should have been at Music Club, but an evening in the company of rhubarb wine (which is excellent this year) and an episode of Torchwood on the sofa seemed preferable.

Here is an occasional recipe for Boursin Noodles (serves 2) - which are both easy and delicious:

Ingredients

1 onion
Large clove of garlic
Olive oil
3 or 4 rashers of bacon (maybe streaky, can be smoked or unsmoked)
several mushrooms
A good dollop or two of soft cheese (I used Philadelphia - the recipe says it should be Boursin)
Parsley if you have any and can be bothered.
Some pasta or noodles

Method

1. Slice the onion thinly and fry it in your main pan in the oil for longer than you think is absolutely necessary, making sure your partner is happy with the result.
2. At some point during this frying, crush the garlic and add that
3. Cut the bacon into strips and fry that in a different pan until it goes brown enough to your partner's satisfaction.
4. Put the bacon into the pan with the onions and garlic. Let it fry a bit longer.
5. Slice the mushrooms and add them.
6. Cover the pan and let the liquid come out of the mushrooms
7. When it all looks like it might be done, stir in the one or two dollops of soft cheese and stir.
8. By now you should have been cooking the pasta or noodles.
9. When the pasta or noodles are done, add the parsley to the oniony-bacony-garlicky-mushroomy-cheesy mix.
10. Serve up the pasta and sauce.
11. Eat and enjoy.

Apple Wine - Final Bottle (4), 11th-13th June 2017

"Not Entirely Nasty". I had expected this to be awful - the last bottle of apple wine ended up down the sink. Therefore, when it turned out to be drinkable I was pleasantly surprised. 'Apple' was not a detectable flavour - the wine was more 'cheap white' than anything.

We opened the bottle on Sunday night, when we really should not have (already being a bottle down) and finished it on Tuesday. I spent Tuesday evening baking peanut butter cookies to take into work for my birthday. It is a strange tradition that the one celebrating his birthday should be the one who provides the biscuits.

And here is my recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies:

8oz butter (or margarine)

8 oz brown sugar

8 oz white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

8 oz peanut butter

16 oz plain white flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to about 200/ gas mark 6

Mix butter, sugar (both sorts), eggs and vanilla together (my recipe says ‘cream these’ but I’m not sure how that differs from mixing).

Mix in peanut butter

Add flour, bicarb and salt and mix in.

Roll small dollops of mix (about a teaspoon) into balls (smaller than a conker, larger than a marble), put on ungreased baking tray and press down with a fork (make a criss cross pattern). Don’t put the unbaked biscuits too close to each other, because they will expand in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes

This recipe will make tons of biscuits - over 60 probably.

Elderflower Wine - Ninth Bottle (A3), 17th-18th February 2016

It is half-term this week, and therefore no WYSO. Instead I spent Wednesday evening in Wakefield at Nick's discussing the Pontefract concert in June. A James Bond medley could be fun; the Prince Igor Suite will not be. Back at home I shooed out Claire's quartet, opened this bottle and settled down to Bake Off.

On Thursday, elderflower wine kept me company as I made Lentil Farmer's Pie. I didn't get flustered and the end result was the best that I have done. The wine served its purpose and was as dependable, summery and floral as ever.


Recipe for Lentil Farmer's Pie (with apologies to Delia) (feeds 2)

3 oz green lentils
3 oz red lentils
1 onion
2 small-ish carrots
1 stick of celery
half a courgette
clove of garlic
a chilli (taking out as many seeds as you fancy depending on how hot you want it)
lots of butter
a tomato or two
pinch of mace
salt and pepper

as many potatoes as looks sensible for mash on top
more butter
bit of milk
strong cheddar cheese

1. Boil the lentils in separate pans in enough water to absorb and a bit extra until they are done. (Red lentils cook much faster than green lentils - hence the different pans. Probably 15 mins for the red lentils and 40 for the green - but that is approximate.)

2. Meanwhile, soften the butter, and put in the diced onion, crushed garlic and sliced chilli. Cook until onion is looking soft

3. Put in the diced carrot, sliced celery stick and (after a bit) the diced half courgette.

4. When the veg looks done, and the lentils are done, drain the lentils, squeeze out excess water, put them in with the veg and mix thoroughly.

5.  Add plenty of salt and pepper and mix through. Put in a dash of ground mace and mix that too.

6.  Put the mix into a small casserole dish, slice the tomatoes thinly and put those on top

7. Make mashed potato, mashing it with the butter and milk.

8. Put on top of the mixture

9. Grate the cheddar cheese and put on top

10. Put in the oven at Gas 6, 220 degrees, and cook for about half an hour (maybe a bit less).

11. Serve with whatever you fancy. I had chutney.

Blackberry Wine - Twelfth Bottle (A1), 9th May 2015

I cooked Greek Baked Lamb for six today and decided that of the wines I have brought to Suffolk, blackberry would go best. It was a tasty bottle and was very quickly followed by something red made from grapes. We it took it rather easier on the wine than last night, where we ended up drinking seven bottles between us. This led to a day-long hangover, and walking twelve miles through Suffolk countryside with a life-threatening headache is not the greatest of experiences. I appear to have survived.

Recipe for Greek Baked Lamb (for six)

2 lbs lamb
1 lb tomatoes - a few more possibly
1/2 lb feta cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Spread the lamb in a shallow baking dish.
Chop the feta into thin slices and place over lamb
Chop the tomatoes into thin slices and place over feta
Sprinkle on the salt and pepper liberally
Pour over a good quantity of olive oil
Bake in an oven at gas mark 4 for one and a half hours.
Serve with rice. - Very easy and delicious.

Gooseberry & Elderflower Wine - Sixth Bottle (A4), 10th-13th June 2014

It was the Feast Day of St Ithamar on Tuesday. I cooked a spicy tomato and cod dish by way of veneration and opened a bottle of Gooseberry & Elderflower wine. Admittedly, this is a long way from one of my best wines. It is on the 'just drinkable' spectrum, and not a wise choice for a wine to pay homage to a saint. Within five minutes of me opening it, a bottle of blackberry exploded. The cork shot into the air and wine volcanoed out. Obviously Ithamar was displeased, and pointedly chose something rather better and more fitting to his celebration. We still had an open bottle of gooseberry & elderflower, however, and have drunk it slowly throughout the week. Its musty taste seems to have lessened as the wine has aged.

A Window at Rochester Cathedral

Recipe for the Spicy Cod and Tomato Dish

1 onion - chopped fine
1 clove garlic - crushed
1 chilli, taking out as many seeds as you want, chopped fine
a few strands of saffron
4 large tomatoes chopped roughly
1 cod fillet
half a teaspoon of sugar
a teaspoon of vinegar (flavoured with herbs if possible)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in olive oil until soft
Add the tomatoes
Soak the saffron in a little boiling water for about five minutes, and throw it in
Once the tomatoes have disintegrated a little, add the cod in flaked pieces
Keep cooking for probably until the fish is done (maybe 20 minutes)
Add the sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper
Serve on cous-cous flavoured with salted lemons or artichoke hearts or whatever you want, really.

Blackberry Wine - Third Bottle (C1), 20th October 2013

This is a fabulous bottle of wine - full of pure blackberry flavour and with the added benefit of fizz. It is certainly alcoholic - I have a numb face and am finding it hard to concentrate. The bush tea in front of me is helping.

We drank the wine to a beef, black bean and ale casserole assembled by Claire this morning. I spent the day on my feet in the kitchen making wine, washing up and cooking. Sitting down was a welcome relief. And now I can barely keep my eyes open. Happy Sunday.

Now - I have been asked to provide recipes when mentioning food (hello Jaye). This is a little difficult most the time, because Claire is the one who does the exciting, delicious cooking whereas my own efforts are often little more than functional. However, an approximate recipe for the casserole above is as follows (serves four - or in our case two twice):

Ingredients
Three slices of braising steak
A medium or large onion
400g tin or box of cooked black beans
500 ml of beer
A dollop of a sharp jelly - Claire used redcurrant, but crab apple or similar should do
A clove of garlic (I think)
A bay leaf (probably)
Salt and pepper to taste
If you want, stick in some quartered mushrooms or slices of leek, though I don't think Claire did.

Method
Chop the steak into medium sized cubes (an inch or so dimension) and fry over a high heat for not very long at all, so that the sides are sealed and browned
Slice the onion and fry it with crushed garlic - using the juices from the meat and possibly a little oil.
Put it all in a casserole dish with the beans
Pour over the ale
If you need more liquid to just cover the ingredients, put in some water.
If you are using vegetables/mushrooms bung them in too
Add the salt and pepper (err on the side of caution - and add more later if you need to)
Add the bay leaf
Put in an oven at gas mark 3 and cook for a couple of hours
Inspect and taste - it may be too bitter. If so, add enough jelly until it tastes right.
Put it in the oven again - you are unlikely to over cook it.
Eat.