Month: January 2026

Fig, pear and vanilla jam

I’m still having a great time experimenting with jam flavour combinations. This time, I mixed recipes for fig jam and pear jam, and made this, which was delicious. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1kg dried chopped figs (from Realfoodsource) 
  • 1.2 litres of water
  • 160ml lemon juice
  • 1.2 kg sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.2 kg pears 

METHOD:

  • Start with preparing the figs. Put the figs with 1 litre of water into the main jam pan, and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave them to stand to absorb water. 
  • Next, peel, core and chop the pears. I used my melon-baller to remover the cores. In another pan, add 200ml water, bring to a simmer, and then blitz with a soup wand or blender. 
  • Add the pears to the figs, along with the lemon juice, sugar and salt, and heat gently until all the sugar has dissolved. 
  • Boil as fast as you dare until the jam has reached setting point (I use the saucer test and the flake test). Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla essence
  • Pour into pre-warmed jars and put the lids on while the jam is hot. 

Venison with Harissa

I got some Belazu rose harissa paste from the co-op, very soft and complex, easy to add to dishes. I also had a stew-pack of venison in the freezer.  I made a version of venison tagine, which can be adapted very easily. I added carrot batons, but butternut squash would be a good addition as well. I served this with bulgar wheat and lentils. Traditional tagines are served with salads and flatbreads. Carrot salad, lentil salad, and mixed salad all go well.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive oil
  • 500g diced venison
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500ml stock
  • 3 carrots, chopped into large batons
  • 50g dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • Fresh herbs as a garnish (mint, coriander or parsley)

METHOD:

  • Heat some olive oil at a medium/high temperature in a casserole dish, and fry the onions and celery until soft. 
  • Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes
  • Add the meat, and stir until the meat is beginning to brown.  
  • Lower the heat a little, add the spices and harissa and cook for two more minutes
  • Lower the heat a little more, and add the tomato puree and cook for around five minutes
  • Add the tinned tomatoes, carrot batons, and stock, and bring to a gentle boil, whilst stirring. 
  • Cover and put into the oven at 160C for 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Add the apricots and cook for a further ten minutes. 

Garnish with herbs, and serve with side dishes of salads, flat-breads, slivered almonds. If you are cooking for friends, pull out all the stops with the salads.