The Preserve of the Season

Join Lindy Wildsmith for a day and learn how to make your own seasonal preserves.

Preserving is a joyous way of capturing the flavour and colour of the seasons. If you grow your own or simply know the value of making your own, now is the time to reach for the preserving pan and busy yourself, peeling, chopping and gently simmering what is available and adding to it exotic spices and potions to create something truly special. Your shelves, lined with the fruits of your labour will provide enhanced eating through the year.

Lindy will take you on a journey from spring through summer to early autumn to learn the basic rules of preserving and to appreciate the changing seasons. Learn the difference between sterilisation and pasteurisation, how to master the classic recipes and how to create variations on a theme. Be prepared to make something special.

March 28th: Marmalade chutney and relish

The earth is starting to warm up but there is still a chance of a late frost, but mother nature is stirring and there are gentle notes of spring in the air and dizzy, dancing, daffodils everywhere. There is work to done in the garden. Green grocers’ stalls are stacked with local fare: spring greens, carrots, watercress, Brussel sprouts, chicory, greens, kale, scallions, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, beetroot, parsnips, leeks and spinach. Time to reach for the jars and jam pots to start making pickles and relishes. Although there is little of our own fruit about, rhubarb is headline news and citrus and tropical fruit imports are at their best. We are too late for the Seville oranges, but now is the time to make zingy marmalades and curds with, lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit.

• Rhubarb, orange and ginger marmalade
• Beetroot and horseradish relish
• Caramelised red onion marmalade
• Spicey Indian Mango chutney

July 25th: Jam chutney and pickles

Come summer the kitchen garden is burgeoning with produce. Keeping up with a bountiful harvest brings rewarding work. Summer fruits and vegetables have arrived and there is regular watering, weeding, picking and some wonderful eating to be done. Blackberries, blackcurrants and blueberries, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants are ripening thick and fast. The air is filled with the heady scent of summer fruit. Learn to make the two basic jam recipes and no fruit will escape your grasp.                             

But what about all those extra vegetables? What better way to capture the taste of July than a British piccalilli or an Italian gardener’s delight of broad and runner beans, peas, young carrots, cauliflower and spring onions or something simple like a classic pickled onion. Thank goodness for the preserving pan!

• Variations on a classic strawberry Jam
• Traditional Winter’s Farm pickled onions
• Greengage or nectarine conserve
• Summer vegetable piccalilli or Italian giardiniera

September 18th: Jelly, chutney and potting

The season of mellow fruitfulness is upon us, and the bounty of the harvest is ripe for picking, orchard trees hang heavy with apple and pear varieties, both ancient and modern. Hedgerows grow thick with the season’s berries and hips. Rows of colourful squashes and roots file out across the fields.

Use desert and crab apples to make jewel-coloured jellies. Apples and pears combined with onion make rich fruit chutneys. Roots, pumpkins and squashes form the basis for sweet, spicey, pickles. The game season is nigh and now is the time to learn to make some delicious potted meats and squirrel them away to serve as starters or light lunches over the months to come.

• Chili tomato jam
• Apple, mustard and sage jelly
• Classic apple chutney
• Italian golden potting for chicken, rabbit or game
• This course includes light refreshments and lunch made by our catering team.

Please check the below dates, as each course listed focuses on a specialised skill.

• March 28th: Marmalade, Chutney & Relishes
• July 25th: Jam, Chutney & Pickles
• September 18th: Jelly, Chutney & Potting

To book, scroll to the bottom of this page and add your chosen dates to your basket before checking out. You can come every month or just to the ones that appeal most!

Please Note:

Whilst we make every effort to adhere to best practices regarding allergen control and cross-contamination at The School of Artisan Food, we sincerely regret that we are unable to cater for severe food allergies or coeliac disease. This is due to the continuous and varied use of our teaching spaces, common areas and food preparation areas.

If in any doubt, please contact us to discuss prior to making a booking.

All ingredients, equipment and recipes are provided by the school.

The School of Artisan Food is nestled in the heart of Sherwood Forest on The Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire, just a few minutes from the A1 and M1.