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 Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended.
A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :)
Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations.
Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun.
Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas.
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended.
A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :)
Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations.
Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun.
Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
A review from FoodLoversBritain.com, 02 Sep 2008
September is the traditional time for dealing with summer's glut in preparation for winter's leaner months. As Thane Prince in Jams & Chutneys - Preserving the Harvest points out, it wasn't so long ago that "preserving nature's bounty was a necessity rather than an indulgence" so every prudent housewife (and I use the description advisedly) would beaver away bottling, pickling, making jam and so on.
Even if your need to preserve has died away and your "consumption lags far behind production levels" Thane wants you to keep at it. She believes preserving is "a truly life-enhancing experience" and although this may sound a little OTT, I can vouch for that. For years I made marmalade with my friend Michele. Never ate the stuff but adored the companionship of my marmalade day and then there was the added bonus of gleaming jars on the kitchen shelf, an endless supply of give-aways
Jams & Chutneys is a charming and useful book, full of sparklingly original recipes, classics and their variations, stylish photographs, hints and helpful tips. Interestingly Thane does not belong to the poor-quality-is-good-enough-for-preserving school. Certainly not - only the freshest and best will do as what you get out is only as good as what you put in. How sensible also to advise us to ask ourselves before we embark on a preserving project whether it is truly worth it. After all making a dozen pots of carrot & cardamom jam is some undertaking, a commitment that's far more labour intensive than dashing off , say, a new chicken recipe. If the latter doesn't appeal, it can easily be disposed of - both literally and figuratively.
Everyone will be charmed by Pears in White Wine with Lemongrass or an unctuous Spiced Pumpkin Butter and with apples coming into season now, who can resist Apple, Plum & Onion Relish. I have one - albeit minor - gripe that as the original CherryAider, I must air. Thane classes the cherry as a summer berry and rather than a stone fruit where it rightfully sits. A small detail but irksome particularly when she has a reputation for thoroughness and accuracy.
Jams and Chutneys Galore! , 16 Aug 2008
Like a previous reviewer I have always wanted to make my own jam, but felt a little daunted. This book is fabulous. The strawberry jam is so simple and more importantly it actually tastes of strawberries! There is even a recipe for chilli jam, which I can't wait to try out.
I highly recommend this book to novice and expert jam makers alike, with over 150 recipes, there is a jam for everyone.
Jams & Chutneys, 13 Aug 2008
If you're looking to buy one book on jams and chutneys - this is it. It has every recipe you will ever need - I've already made the strawberry jam, raspberry curd, onion marmalade, rose wine jelly, tomato ketchup, Hoi sin sauce, limoncello, sweet dipping sauce, elderflower cordial and bread and butter chutney... and I've still 140 recipes to go! Best of all it's full of beautifully shot pictures to inspire you and every recipe tells you how long it will take, how much it will make and how long it will last. Plus, it's spilt into 9 ingredients chapters - Summer berries, Stone fruit, Summer vegetables, Orchard fruit, Flowers and herbs, Wild harvest, Tropical Fruit, Chillies and Spices, Winter Citrus - which makes it really easy to use and has a chapter on techniques at the beginning which tells you everything you need to know about preserving - from choosing your fruit to sterilizing your jars - with detailed step-by-step photographs and a consice, no-nonsence approach. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this is one book that will forever be hanging around your kitchen - getting sticky - so make sure you buy yourself 2 copies, 1 for display and 1 to put to good use!
Jams & Chutneys, 31 Jul 2008
One of the best jam books on the market. Very helpful and full of great ideas. I have always wanted to make my own jam and chutney but have always worried that something would go wrong. After reading this book I feel much more confident and I can't wait to try out the next recipe.
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
A review from FoodLoversBritain.com, 02 Sep 2008
September is the traditional time for dealing with summer's glut in preparation for winter's leaner months. As Thane Prince in Jams & Chutneys - Preserving the Harvest points out, it wasn't so long ago that "preserving nature's bounty was a necessity rather than an indulgence" so every prudent housewife (and I use the description advisedly) would beaver away bottling, pickling, making jam and so on.
Even if your need to preserve has died away and your "consumption lags far behind production levels" Thane wants you to keep at it. She believes preserving is "a truly life-enhancing experience" and although this may sound a little OTT, I can vouch for that. For years I made marmalade with my friend Michele. Never ate the stuff but adored the companionship of my marmalade day and then there was the added bonus of gleaming jars on the kitchen shelf, an endless supply of give-aways
Jams & Chutneys is a charming and useful book, full of sparklingly original recipes, classics and their variations, stylish photographs, hints and helpful tips. Interestingly Thane does not belong to the poor-quality-is-good-enough-for-preserving school. Certainly not - only the freshest and best will do as what you get out is only as good as what you put in. How sensible also to advise us to ask ourselves before we embark on a preserving project whether it is truly worth it. After all making a dozen pots of carrot & cardamom jam is some undertaking, a commitment that's far more labour intensive than dashing off , say, a new chicken recipe. If the latter doesn't appeal, it can easily be disposed of - both literally and figuratively.
Everyone will be charmed by Pears in White Wine with Lemongrass or an unctuous Spiced Pumpkin Butter and with apples coming into season now, who can resist Apple, Plum & Onion Relish. I have one - albeit minor - gripe that as the original CherryAider, I must air. Thane classes the cherry as a summer berry and rather than a stone fruit where it rightfully sits. A small detail but irksome particularly when she has a reputation for thoroughness and accuracy.
Jams and Chutneys Galore! , 16 Aug 2008
Like a previous reviewer I have always wanted to make my own jam, but felt a little daunted. This book is fabulous. The strawberry jam is so simple and more importantly it actually tastes of strawberries! There is even a recipe for chilli jam, which I can't wait to try out.
I highly recommend this book to novice and expert jam makers alike, with over 150 recipes, there is a jam for everyone.
Jams & Chutneys, 13 Aug 2008
If you're looking to buy one book on jams and chutneys - this is it. It has every recipe you will ever need - I've already made the strawberry jam, raspberry curd, onion marmalade, rose wine jelly, tomato ketchup, Hoi sin sauce, limoncello, sweet dipping sauce, elderflower cordial and bread and butter chutney... and I've still 140 recipes to go! Best of all it's full of beautifully shot pictures to inspire you and every recipe tells you how long it will take, how much it will make and how long it will last. Plus, it's spilt into 9 ingredients chapters - Summer berries, Stone fruit, Summer vegetables, Orchard fruit, Flowers and herbs, Wild harvest, Tropical Fruit, Chillies and Spices, Winter Citrus - which makes it really easy to use and has a chapter on techniques at the beginning which tells you everything you need to know about preserving - from choosing your fruit to sterilizing your jars - with detailed step-by-step photographs and a consice, no-nonsence approach. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this is one book that will forever be hanging around your kitchen - getting sticky - so make sure you buy yourself 2 copies, 1 for display and 1 to put to good use!
Jams & Chutneys, 31 Jul 2008
One of the best jam books on the market. Very helpful and full of great ideas. I have always wanted to make my own jam and chutney but have always worried that something would go wrong. After reading this book I feel much more confident and I can't wait to try out the next recipe.
Excellent time saver, 29 Oct 2007
Great book.
Good ideas on how to save time and not spend your life in the kitchen.
Learn what freezes best.
Good for those like me that were worried about what to freeze or not to freeze.
Kitchen Bible, 16 Feb 2006
Have you ever thought "I wonder if I can freeze this?" Or do you often over cater and have a lot of food left? If so, then this is the book for you. This book has taught me that many, many different types of food can be frozen, as long as they are prepared in the right way. Foods are listed in alphabetical order, giving tips on preparation for freezing, different ways of freezing, how long you should freeze for etc. This book has become an essential item in my kitchen and I would highly recommend it. Since I have bought this book I have wasted less food and saved more money. This book has paid for itself many times over.
Does what it says on the tin, 29 Sep 2003
This book is really useful. I reffer to it frequently and it is easy to look up items you wish to freeze as everything is listed alphabetically. I did think before I got it that it would be full of freeze ahead meal ideas- which it is not. If that is what you are looking for specifically then maybe this is not the book for you. However despite my misunderstanding I am so pleased that I have this book as it does tell you everything you need to know about freezing and freezer management!
Freezer's best friend, 25 Jun 2003
This book is one of the best books in my kitchen. I refer to it endlessly. In the book the foods are listed in alphabetical order with sub headings on 1) how to prepare it for freezing 2) how to pack for freezing and 3) how to thaw and serve. It's straight to the point, and little reading to do. it's a most practical book that everyone should have. I'm getting everyone in my family a copy for christmas!
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WI Book of Preserves
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
A review from FoodLoversBritain.com, 02 Sep 2008
September is the traditional time for dealing with summer's glut in preparation for winter's leaner months. As Thane Prince in Jams & Chutneys - Preserving the Harvest points out, it wasn't so long ago that "preserving nature's bounty was a necessity rather than an indulgence" so every prudent housewife (and I use the description advisedly) would beaver away bottling, pickling, making jam and so on.
Even if your need to preserve has died away and your "consumption lags far behind production levels" Thane wants you to keep at it. She believes preserving is "a truly life-enhancing experience" and although this may sound a little OTT, I can vouch for that. For years I made marmalade with my friend Michele. Never ate the stuff but adored the companionship of my marmalade day and then there was the added bonus of gleaming jars on the kitchen shelf, an endless supply of give-aways
Jams & Chutneys is a charming and useful book, full of sparklingly original recipes, classics and their variations, stylish photographs, hints and helpful tips. Interestingly Thane does not belong to the poor-quality-is-good-enough-for-preserving school. Certainly not - only the freshest and best will do as what you get out is only as good as what you put in. How sensible also to advise us to ask ourselves before we embark on a preserving project whether it is truly worth it. After all making a dozen pots of carrot & cardamom jam is some undertaking, a commitment that's far more labour intensive than dashing off , say, a new chicken recipe. If the latter doesn't appeal, it can easily be disposed of - both literally and figuratively.
Everyone will be charmed by Pears in White Wine with Lemongrass or an unctuous Spiced Pumpkin Butter and with apples coming into season now, who can resist Apple, Plum & Onion Relish. I have one - albeit minor - gripe that as the original CherryAider, I must air. Thane classes the cherry as a summer berry and rather than a stone fruit where it rightfully sits. A small detail but irksome particularly when she has a reputation for thoroughness and accuracy.
Jams and Chutneys Galore! , 16 Aug 2008
Like a previous reviewer I have always wanted to make my own jam, but felt a little daunted. This book is fabulous. The strawberry jam is so simple and more importantly it actually tastes of strawberries! There is even a recipe for chilli jam, which I can't wait to try out.
I highly recommend this book to novice and expert jam makers alike, with over 150 recipes, there is a jam for everyone.
Jams & Chutneys, 13 Aug 2008
If you're looking to buy one book on jams and chutneys - this is it. It has every recipe you will ever need - I've already made the strawberry jam, raspberry curd, onion marmalade, rose wine jelly, tomato ketchup, Hoi sin sauce, limoncello, sweet dipping sauce, elderflower cordial and bread and butter chutney... and I've still 140 recipes to go! Best of all it's full of beautifully shot pictures to inspire you and every recipe tells you how long it will take, how much it will make and how long it will last. Plus, it's spilt into 9 ingredients chapters - Summer berries, Stone fruit, Summer vegetables, Orchard fruit, Flowers and herbs, Wild harvest, Tropical Fruit, Chillies and Spices, Winter Citrus - which makes it really easy to use and has a chapter on techniques at the beginning which tells you everything you need to know about preserving - from choosing your fruit to sterilizing your jars - with detailed step-by-step photographs and a consice, no-nonsence approach. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this is one book that will forever be hanging around your kitchen - getting sticky - so make sure you buy yourself 2 copies, 1 for display and 1 to put to good use!
Jams & Chutneys, 31 Jul 2008
One of the best jam books on the market. Very helpful and full of great ideas. I have always wanted to make my own jam and chutney but have always worried that something would go wrong. After reading this book I feel much more confident and I can't wait to try out the next recipe.
Excellent time saver, 29 Oct 2007
Great book.
Good ideas on how to save time and not spend your life in the kitchen.
Learn what freezes best.
Good for those like me that were worried about what to freeze or not to freeze.
Kitchen Bible, 16 Feb 2006
Have you ever thought "I wonder if I can freeze this?" Or do you often over cater and have a lot of food left? If so, then this is the book for you. This book has taught me that many, many different types of food can be frozen, as long as they are prepared in the right way. Foods are listed in alphabetical order, giving tips on preparation for freezing, different ways of freezing, how long you should freeze for etc. This book has become an essential item in my kitchen and I would highly recommend it. Since I have bought this book I have wasted less food and saved more money. This book has paid for itself many times over.
Does what it says on the tin, 29 Sep 2003
This book is really useful. I reffer to it frequently and it is easy to look up items you wish to freeze as everything is listed alphabetically. I did think before I got it that it would be full of freeze ahead meal ideas- which it is not. If that is what you are looking for specifically then maybe this is not the book for you. However despite my misunderstanding I am so pleased that I have this book as it does tell you everything you need to know about freezing and freezer management!
Freezer's best friend, 25 Jun 2003
This book is one of the best books in my kitchen. I refer to it endlessly. In the book the foods are listed in alphabetical order with sub headings on 1) how to prepare it for freezing 2) how to pack for freezing and 3) how to thaw and serve. It's straight to the point, and little reading to do. it's a most practical book that everyone should have. I'm getting everyone in my family a copy for christmas!
Delicious, easy recipes, 15 Feb 2005
This is a lovely little booklet which contains great recipes and good colour pictures! For me, as a Dutch person, it is ideal since it uses the metrical system. UK buyers don't worry: there is a very easy-to-use table in the back converting metrical to the Uk system. I rate this a 5+ ! Recipes include chutneys, pickles, oven dried tomatoes, a spicy coriander jam and more...
Fantastic compact book, 07 Oct 2002
This book is brimming with information and photographs of enticing pickles and relishes. It has enough detailed information to make these recipes easy to follow. For a small book it contained a wide variety of recipes. The finished results were great and tasted lovely. A great little book for anyone who fancies a dabble in this area. Enjoy pickle making and relishes!
good value, 22 Jan 2001
This is a good basic guide to chutneys and relishes, with a small section on dried foods. with around 50 or so simple recipes it's very good value for the price, although you will need some cup measures (preferably Australian) to complete them easily.
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
A review from FoodLoversBritain.com, 02 Sep 2008
September is the traditional time for dealing with summer's glut in preparation for winter's leaner months. As Thane Prince in Jams & Chutneys - Preserving the Harvest points out, it wasn't so long ago that "preserving nature's bounty was a necessity rather than an indulgence" so every prudent housewife (and I use the description advisedly) would beaver away bottling, pickling, making jam and so on.
Even if your need to preserve has died away and your "consumption lags far behind production levels" Thane wants you to keep at it. She believes preserving is "a truly life-enhancing experience" and although this may sound a little OTT, I can vouch for that. For years I made marmalade with my friend Michele. Never ate the stuff but adored the companionship of my marmalade day and then there was the added bonus of gleaming jars on the kitchen shelf, an endless supply of give-aways
Jams & Chutneys is a charming and useful book, full of sparklingly original recipes, classics and their variations, stylish photographs, hints and helpful tips. Interestingly Thane does not belong to the poor-quality-is-good-enough-for-preserving school. Certainly not - only the freshest and best will do as what you get out is only as good as what you put in. How sensible also to advise us to ask ourselves before we embark on a preserving project whether it is truly worth it. After all making a dozen pots of carrot & cardamom jam is some undertaking, a commitment that's far more labour intensive than dashing off , say, a new chicken recipe. If the latter doesn't appeal, it can easily be disposed of - both literally and figuratively.
Everyone will be charmed by Pears in White Wine with Lemongrass or an unctuous Spiced Pumpkin Butter and with apples coming into season now, who can resist Apple, Plum & Onion Relish. I have one - albeit minor - gripe that as the original CherryAider, I must air. Thane classes the cherry as a summer berry and rather than a stone fruit where it rightfully sits. A small detail but irksome particularly when she has a reputation for thoroughness and accuracy.
Jams and Chutneys Galore! , 16 Aug 2008
Like a previous reviewer I have always wanted to make my own jam, but felt a little daunted. This book is fabulous. The strawberry jam is so simple and more importantly it actually tastes of strawberries! There is even a recipe for chilli jam, which I can't wait to try out.
I highly recommend this book to novice and expert jam makers alike, with over 150 recipes, there is a jam for everyone.
Jams & Chutneys, 13 Aug 2008
If you're looking to buy one book on jams and chutneys - this is it. It has every recipe you will ever need - I've already made the strawberry jam, raspberry curd, onion marmalade, rose wine jelly, tomato ketchup, Hoi sin sauce, limoncello, sweet dipping sauce, elderflower cordial and bread and butter chutney... and I've still 140 recipes to go! Best of all it's full of beautifully shot pictures to inspire you and every recipe tells you how long it will take, how much it will make and how long it will last. Plus, it's spilt into 9 ingredients chapters - Summer berries, Stone fruit, Summer vegetables, Orchard fruit, Flowers and herbs, Wild harvest, Tropical Fruit, Chillies and Spices, Winter Citrus - which makes it really easy to use and has a chapter on techniques at the beginning which tells you everything you need to know about preserving - from choosing your fruit to sterilizing your jars - with detailed step-by-step photographs and a consice, no-nonsence approach. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this is one book that will forever be hanging around your kitchen - getting sticky - so make sure you buy yourself 2 copies, 1 for display and 1 to put to good use!
Jams & Chutneys, 31 Jul 2008
One of the best jam books on the market. Very helpful and full of great ideas. I have always wanted to make my own jam and chutney but have always worried that something would go wrong. After reading this book I feel much more confident and I can't wait to try out the next recipe.
Excellent time saver, 29 Oct 2007
Great book.
Good ideas on how to save time and not spend your life in the kitchen.
Learn what freezes best.
Good for those like me that were worried about what to freeze or not to freeze.
Kitchen Bible, 16 Feb 2006
Have you ever thought "I wonder if I can freeze this?" Or do you often over cater and have a lot of food left? If so, then this is the book for you. This book has taught me that many, many different types of food can be frozen, as long as they are prepared in the right way. Foods are listed in alphabetical order, giving tips on preparation for freezing, different ways of freezing, how long you should freeze for etc. This book has become an essential item in my kitchen and I would highly recommend it. Since I have bought this book I have wasted less food and saved more money. This book has paid for itself many times over.
Does what it says on the tin, 29 Sep 2003
This book is really useful. I reffer to it frequently and it is easy to look up items you wish to freeze as everything is listed alphabetically. I did think before I got it that it would be full of freeze ahead meal ideas- which it is not. If that is what you are looking for specifically then maybe this is not the book for you. However despite my misunderstanding I am so pleased that I have this book as it does tell you everything you need to know about freezing and freezer management!
Freezer's best friend, 25 Jun 2003
This book is one of the best books in my kitchen. I refer to it endlessly. In the book the foods are listed in alphabetical order with sub headings on 1) how to prepare it for freezing 2) how to pack for freezing and 3) how to thaw and serve. It's straight to the point, and little reading to do. it's a most practical book that everyone should have. I'm getting everyone in my family a copy for christmas!
Delicious, easy recipes, 15 Feb 2005
This is a lovely little booklet which contains great recipes and good colour pictures! For me, as a Dutch person, it is ideal since it uses the metrical system. UK buyers don't worry: there is a very easy-to-use table in the back converting metrical to the Uk system. I rate this a 5+ ! Recipes include chutneys, pickles, oven dried tomatoes, a spicy coriander jam and more...
Fantastic compact book, 07 Oct 2002
This book is brimming with information and photographs of enticing pickles and relishes. It has enough detailed information to make these recipes easy to follow. For a small book it contained a wide variety of recipes. The finished results were great and tasted lovely. A great little book for anyone who fancies a dabble in this area. Enjoy pickle making and relishes!
good value, 22 Jan 2001
This is a good basic guide to chutneys and relishes, with a small section on dried foods. with around 50 or so simple recipes it's very good value for the price, although you will need some cup measures (preferably Australian) to complete them easily.
A good book, 04 Jan 2008
This is a well researched, readable and helpfully illustrated book. It's a very good choice if you want a book that will instruct you in a broad range of techniques, provide reliable recipes and inspire you to transform lemons, a whole organic pig and everything else in between.
Don't worry that this book is over-verbose. There's no wasted text unless you can only think in bullet points!
Over Verbose, 06 Nov 2007
this book is massively over-writen, how-to-do books should, in my opinion, be concise this isn't you have to wade through loads of text to get to the actual recipe. Fine to put all background stuff in, but separate it. Having said that the nuggets are there!
Getting the best from your Pig!, 09 Dec 2006
If your interested in home sausage making, curing your own meats or Charcuterie in general then this title is for you, an excellent book, precise and informative, clearly written by people who know what they are talking about. Recommended.
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Customer Reviews
Inspiring and wonderful!, 07 Sep 2008
I've been wanting to make preserves for years, but I've only just started to do it. Loving the whole River Cottage ethos, I was naturally interested in this book. I read some great reviews and so I bought it, and IMO it's just as wonderful as others said it was.
There's a wealth of inspiring recipes, many of which come with suggestions for modifications which can be made by those who have different ingredients/would like to use something slightly different. Everything is clearly explained, and the photographs just make me want to go down to the kitchen and eat up every last preserve in the fridge!
This book is an absolute inspiration. I'd defy anyone even very slightly interested in making their own jams, chutneys, pickles etc not to want to dash straight out to the shops/the garden/the local nature reserves, pick things and get bottling, after reading it. I've already spent 3 happy evenings on the couch by the fire, listening to the rain beating at the windows, reading and re-reading the recipes and making plans for a whole pantry full of lovely things to see me through the winter.
Very highly recommended. A MUST for anyone wanting to make preserves - beginner or experienced, 07 Sep 2008
What a fab book! Alreayd I have tried several of the recipies and I love Pam's style of writing and explaining - not only does she tell you how to do things easily - she tells you WHY :) Heading towards self sufficiency, 31 Aug 2008
A comprehensive guide to preserves, cordials and all manner of edible items to put away for another day. Wide ranging recipes with hints and tips for success, additions and improvements.
Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Harissa Paste
Saucy Haw Ketchup
Runner Bean Pickle
It's had me out scouring the hedgerows already and will get plenty of use. Beautiful photos, clearly laid out. Includes details on suppliers and other interesting organisations. Pam the Jam, 21 Aug 2008
Hugh Fearney-Whittingstall hired Pam Corbin to organise River Cottage's Preserving Days, and she's done him proud with this handbook. She's fairly strongly pro-bottling, pickling and general jamming, and is keen to remind us that's just how life was, not very long ago. For her, preserving is not just a fun activity, it's a way of using up seasonal gluts and honoring the ebb and flow of the vegetable world.
She's meticulous on health and safety in a modern up-to-date way, and there's some really useful stuff I've never seen before, like sterilising, filling and sealing tables - chutneys are treated slightly differently than marmalades etc, which makes you feel in incredibly safe hands. And three different tests for setting! Encyclopedic!
Of course the real test is the recipes, which others have already recommended. I like the fact that each one is on its own page, that the design is beautiful, and that there's lots of illustrations to tempt me. I also like the seasonal advice that tells you when to make a particular preserve.
Also, Pam suggests tempting useful variations to each (Whiskey marmalade; indian spices like fenugreek in the rhubarb relish; pickled crab apples instead of pears).
Things I was delighted to know how to make: passata; harissa; quince jelly (for manchego); italian figs in mustard sauce.
Things I am amazed to know how to make: hawthorn ketchup; compost heap jelly; nasturtium capers; fruit "leather".
Honestly, buy it, have a go, it's such good fun. Fab little book, 10 Aug 2008
I bought this as a gift for my husband as we are huge River Cottage fans and try to be as self-sufficient as possible. He made a fabulous berry jam out of a pile of berries we foraged for. A week later, a neighbour gave us about 3lbs of plums and he made a divine plum and walnut jam. His next plan is marmalade and chutney. A really, really great little book and one I shall be giving several people for Christmas. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! Simply the Best, 03 Jul 2008
This, like many of Marguerite Patten's other 'Basics' other books, is simply invaluable. Particularly key, now many of us are growing our own & therefore understand the seasonal 'glut' dilemma - there are, I promise you, only so many cucumbers you can eat in a week ........ Inspiring!, 04 Jul 2007
I really like this book. Although I've not had it all that long, I've refered to it countless times already and know that it will be my preserving book of choice from henceforth.
Not only are there some really interesting and different recipes and ideas, but I also find it quite inspiring. It's the sort of book that gives you the encouragement to go away and play with your own ideas without being afraid of messing up.
It tells you what you need, what to do, what not to do, and is realy quite fail-safe. It's quite old-fashioned and has no exciting, glossy pictures, but instead is filled with excellent recipes laid out simply and clearly.
Not for your coffee table but definitely one to refer to over and over again. Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 25 Apr 2007
A very carefully written, easily understood & clearly presented guide to home manufacture of jams, chutneys, pickles and a few other interesting preserves.
Patten explains how to approach even the more difficult jams an conserves in a confident manner that suggests failure is an imposibility (which, if you follow the intructions, it probably is!) and I have yet to have a failure with any of her recipes.
Something I particularly like is the variations she offers to her basic recipes - when dealing with a fruit glut it is a nice thing to have some slightly different jams to put into the cupboard.
Overall an excellent choice for both a beginner (she happily assumes no previous knowledge) and for a more experienced cook looking for new ideas.
Recommended without hesitation. It is what it is., 05 Feb 2005
Un-illustrated(for the majority of the book), however, it is, eloquently what it claims to be. And Marguerite, as usual, doesn't fail to complete her task. With literally hundreds of recipes and variations included in this book, it is a handbook, and all the basics are covered for making jams, marmalades, chutneys, pickles and much more. 'Golden Rules' for success are included, hints and tips and guides to equipment, ingredients and techniques. Ideal for the beginner to steer to accomplishment, and great as an idea book for the more advanced 'preserver'. An Excellent Guide, 20 Jul 2004
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own jam! It's a quicker process than you might imagine and the results are well worth the effort. When you use this book you feel that the author is with you in the kitchen, guiding your jam stirring arm, and reassuring you with her clearly written instructions. I highly recommend it (and the pleasures of jam making) to you!
A review from FoodLoversBritain.com, 02 Sep 2008
September is the traditional time for dealing with summer's glut in preparation for winter's leaner months. As Thane Prince in Jams & Chutneys - Preserving the Harvest points out, it wasn't so long ago that "preserving nature's bounty was a necessity rather than an indulgence" so every prudent housewife (and I use the description advisedly) would beaver away bottling, pickling, making jam and so on.
Even if your need to preserve has died away and your "consumption lags far behind production levels" Thane wants you to keep at it. She believes preserving is "a truly life-enhancing experience" and although this may sound a little OTT, I can vouch for that. For years I made marmalade with my friend Michele. Never ate the stuff but adored the companionship of my marmalade day and then there was the added bonus of gleaming jars on the kitchen shelf, an endless supply of give-aways
Jams & Chutneys is a charming and useful book, full of sparklingly original recipes, classics and their variations, stylish photographs, hints and helpful tips. Interestingly Thane does not belong to the poor-quality-is-good-enough-for-preserving school. Certainly not - only the freshest and best will do as what you get out is only as good as what you put in. How sensible also to advise us to ask ourselves before we embark on a preserving project whether it is truly worth it. After all making a dozen pots of carrot & cardamom jam is some undertaking, a commitment that's far more labour intensive than dashing off , say, a new chicken recipe. If the latter doesn't appeal, it can easily be disposed of - both literally and figuratively.
Everyone will be charmed by Pears in White Wine with Lemongrass or an unctuous Spiced Pumpkin Butter and with apples coming into season now, who can resist Apple, Plum & Onion Relish. I have one - albeit minor - gripe that as the original CherryAider, I must air. Thane classes the cherry as a summer berry and rather than a stone fruit where it rightfully sits. A small detail but irksome particularly when she has a reputation for thoroughness and accuracy.
Jams and Chutneys Galore! , 16 Aug 2008
Like a previous reviewer I have always wanted to make my own jam, but felt a little daunted. This book is fabulous. The strawberry jam is so simple and more importantly it actually tastes of strawberries! There is even a recipe for chilli jam, which I can't wait to try out.
I highly recommend this book to novice and expert jam makers alike, with over 150 recipes, there is a jam for everyone.
Jams & Chutneys, 13 Aug 2008
If you're looking to buy one book on jams and chutneys - this is it. It has every recipe you will ever need - I've already made the strawberry jam, raspberry curd, onion marmalade, rose wine jelly, tomato ketchup, Hoi sin sauce, limoncello, sweet dipping sauce, elderflower cordial and bread and butter chutney... and I've still 140 recipes to go! Best of all it's full of beautifully shot pictures to inspire you and every recipe tells you how long it will take, how much it will make and how long it will last. Plus, it's spilt into 9 ingredients chapters - Summer berries, Stone fruit, Summer vegetables, Orchard fruit, Flowers and herbs, Wild harvest, Tropical Fruit, Chillies and Spices, Winter Citrus - which makes it really easy to use and has a chapter on techniques at the beginning which tells you everything you need to know about preserving - from choosing your fruit to sterilizing your jars - with detailed step-by-step photographs and a consice, no-nonsence approach. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this is one book that will forever be hanging around your kitchen - getting sticky - so make sure you buy yourself 2 copies, 1 for display and 1 to put to good use!
Jams & Chutneys, 31 Jul 2008
One of the best jam books on the market. Very helpful and full of great ideas. I have always wanted to make my own jam and chutney but have always worried that something would go wrong. After reading this book I feel much more confident and I can't wait to try out the next recipe.
Excellent time saver, 29 Oct 2007
Great book.
Good ideas on how to save time and not spend your life in the kitchen.
Learn what freezes best.
Good for those like me that were worried about what to freeze or not to freeze.
Kitchen Bible, 16 Feb 2006
Have you ever thought "I wonder if I can freeze this?" Or do you often over cater and have a lot of food left? If so, then this is the book for you. This book has taught me that many, many different types of food can be frozen, as long as they are prepared in the right way. Foods are listed in alphabetical order, giving tips on preparation for freezing, different ways of freezing, how long you should freeze for etc. This book has become an essential item in my kitchen and I would highly recommend it. Since I have bought this book I have wasted less food and saved more money. This book has paid for itself many times over.
Does what it says on the tin, 29 Sep 2003
This book is really useful. I reffer to it frequently and it is easy to look up items you wish to freeze as everything is listed alpha | | |