Had a great weekend at the show – Pembrokeshire is impressive, although a long way from Kent.

I met Tom Bean (a Gastronomer) and Lara Bernays (a Medical Herbalist), who had a great stall.

They do wild food forays and wild medicine courses in Pembrokeshire and they had a great recipe for Hawthorn berries. Here it is:

Tom and Lara’s Saucy Haw recipe!

Makes 1 300ml bottle;

500g hawthorn berries;
300ml cider vinegar;
170gm sugar;
1/2 tsp salt;
Ground black pepper;
Ground Alexander seeds;
Crushed Jack by the Hedge seeds.

First gather your hawthorn berries – wear gloves if necessary to protect you from the thorns.

Strip the haws from the stalks, rinse and place in a large pan;

Bring vinegar and 300ml water to the boil, add haws – this will help preserve the vitamin C;

Simmer berries until split and soft, about 30 mins;

Pass the mixture through a colander – this takes patience, but it’s worth it;

Add sugar to the liquid and return to the heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Add the seasoning and bottle.

Sounds good! We may try it on the weekend Fruits’nRoots’Cider course on Saturday

Huw
Toma and Lara often deliver walks, tals and workshops in West Wales.

To get in touch: larabernays@hotmail.com