food from the wood

One of the most exciting things about this time of year is the wonderful variety of food to be found in the hedges, woods and fields.  We had some lovely mushrooms growing in a corner of one of  our fields, and  we also gathered chanterelles in a friend's wood.  They tend to flourish around birch trees and we found enough to use in several meals including a delicious risotto washed down with lots of Three Choirs Midsummer Hill white wine.  If you haven't tried an English white wine, I would certainly recommend the ones produced  by Three Choirs  Vineyards in Gloucestershire. 

We have an amazingly good apple crop this year cosidering our little orchard has been rather neglected in the pruning department!  These Discovery apples are perfect for eating right now, but don't store very well.  There are also quite a lot of damaged ones which we must use up quickly.  This is where the juicer comes in.  It is one of my favourite pieces of kitchen equipment and we use it regularly throughout the winter.  Our favourite juice combination is apple, carrot and root ginger, but we also juice beetroot, celery, cucumbers and lots of other fruit when it's available.