The drink I nearly didn't make ... This drink almost never existed, but then ... While making my Blackberry & Mangelwurzel Jelly ( Deliciously Unique Blackberry and Mangelwurzel Jelly Recipe to Try ), I found myself standing over a pan of the most beautiful ruby-red juice I'd ever made. It seemed almost criminal to watch every last drop disappear into the preserving pan. So I quietly poured 100ml into a jug. No plan. No recipe. Just curiosity. What followed was one of those

How an old-fashioned root vegetable became my favourite preserve of the summer ... Some recipes arrive with months of planning. Others arrive in the hands of a neighbour carrying a rather extraordinary vegetable. When I was given mangelwurzels ahead of village Mangelwurzel celebrations, I'll admit I wasn't entirely sure where to begin. Most people know them as livestock feed, not something destined for toast or afternoon tea. But curiosity has always been my favourite ingre

"Sometimes the most interesting ingredients aren't the ones shouting the loudest." When I first brought home a basket of mangelwurzels for our village's Great Polden Mangelwurzel Off, I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed. They weren't the jewel-like reds of beetroot or the sunshine yellows of squash I'd imagined. They were... quiet. My first instinct was to chase colour. How could I brighten them? Should I add the red stems? The leaves? More herbs? More drama? Then,