Feral fruit pastilles

I find these make for an ideal lure when tempting deer out of thickets.

2lb mixed wild fruit (I used a combination of wild cherry plums, blackberries, elderberries, Oregon grapes, rowan berries and 2 scrumped discovery apples)

Caster sugar (the amount you need may vary, in this instance I needed 1lb)

The juice of 1 orange

1 Put the fruit into a large pan. Squeeze in the orange juice and pop on a low heat; stirring with a wooden spoon as the berries start to soften. When the fruit has totally broken down (20 minutes or so), take off the heat and carefully squash the pulpy liquid through a sieve into a bowl.

2 Weigh the mixture in the bowl (subtract the weight of the bowl), then measure out an equal amount of sugar. Pour the hot liquid back into the pan with the sugar and bring to a quick bubble. Keep on the heat for a good 30 minutes (at least - it takes a while). You’ll know when it’s ready when you push a wooden spoon through the thick mixture, the bottom of the pan is revealed, but it’s slow running back into the furrow. Testing to see if a dollop sets firmly on a plate is a good backup.

3 Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper, pour in the mixture and allow to set. Once firm, lift the slab onto a board, cut into small squares and roll in caster sugar.

Scrumping in the apple orchard

Good Food September '11 In Season Special

Recipes: The Good Food Team

Food styling: Lizzie Harris

Prop styling: Jo Harris

Feature design: Todd Slaughter

Good Food Magazine September '11 Cover

Crab claws

Globe artichokes

Ham hock, garden pea and pearl barley salad

Frightful weather this weekend what? Perfect excuse to migrate into the kitchen for the afternoon, with a basket of fresh peas from the garden and a pork knuckle. Food assistant credit to Amélie, who helped with shelling of peas.

1 Ham hock

Stock ingredients (1 Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery sticks, 1 Bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a few Peppercorns and a pinch of Sea salt)

100g Chorizo, chopped

175g Pearl Barley

150g Garden peas, blanched for a few minutes in boiling water

1 Red onion, sliced

A bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

6Tbsp Olive oil

3Tbsp White wine vinegar

1Tsp Dijon mustard

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

Mint leaves

Pea shoots

Salt and pepper

1 First cook the ham. Place the hock in a large pan and just-cover with cold water. Roughly chop the stock veg, then add to the pot with seasoning, bay and thyme. Bring water to a simmer and leave on the hob for 3 hours, turning the meat intermittently. Let the hock cool on a board for 10 minutes, before shredding the meat off the bone with a pair of forks.

2 While the barley’s cooking (approximately 15 minutes in boiling water), fry the chorizo in a pan until crispy, then cool on kitchen paper.

3 Mix the ham, chorizo, peas, cooled barley, red onion, spring onions and some seasoning together in a large salad bowl. Stir in chopped mint and pea shoots.

4 Shake the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard together in an old jam jar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir into the salad (just prior to serving, as the dressing soaks into the barley pretty sharpish).