by Thompson & Morgan | Aug 9, 2023 | Fruit, Gardening Posts, Recipes
Plum curd recipe
Kay Sexton
This delicious recipe is ideal for plums but can also be used with other fruit such as apricots, peeled apples or peaches. Taken from her book, Minding 'My Peas and Cucumbers: Quirky Tales of Allotment Life', Kay Sexton has kindly donated this yummy recipe which is a great way to use up a glut of plums!Kay says: "You can substitute the plums for apricots, peeled apples or peaches, which make a very similar pulp. However, soft fruit like raspberries, redcurrants and strawberries have to be sieved to take out pips and cores and blackberry or blackcurrant curds both taste fine but tend to be an unattractive pale grey-mauve colour. These curds are not as strongly flavoured as the aggressive lemon curd sold in supermarkets, and have a higher fruit content so they might be considered to be a bit healthier. Their subtlety lends itself to imaginative ways of baking and creating desserts, and they are particularly good simply spooned over vanilla ice cream!"
Course Condiment, Dessert
1 Glass bowl
1 Wooden spoon.
1 Colander
1 Saucepan
1 Whisk
1 Metal spoon
Sterilised jars
- 400 g washed fresh plums
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
Start by making plum pulp. Put the plums in a saucepan and cook them gently until they soften and the skins begin to shred. Then allow them to cool a little before using a wooden spoon to push them through a colander placed over a glass bowl so that the pulp is broken up and passes through but the pits (which, in wild plums, can be so small they are more like pips) are trapped.
Add the sugar and butter to the glass bowl with the pulp and place over a pan of simmering water - I prefer to put the bowl on a trivet to avoid any chance of the curd sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Now whisk the eggs and yolk together and beat into the mixture.
Continue to cook, beating away, until the mixture thickens - you can test this by dipping a clean metal spoon into it and watching how it coats the back. You want it to stick rather than running straight off. If you’re in doubt, unsure of your preserving skills or easily distracted, this should take about ten minutes on a timer.
Remove from heat, and while it is cooling, give it the occasional whisk to encourage the heat to dissipate and to stop it setting too firmly. When it is completely cool, pour it into sterilised jars, cover and refrigerate. A home-made curd keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge, but rarely lasts that long, once people know it is there!
This plum curd recipe is taken from Kay's book Minding 'My Peas and Cucumbers: Quirky Tales of Allotment Life'.
There are many different varieties of plums that you can grow and they would all work well in this recipe. However, Plum 'Victoria' is one of the most well known varieties. Keyword dessert, fruit, jam, plum
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
by Thompson & Morgan | Jul 27, 2023 | Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts
You don’t need to stop growing salad just because it’s winter. In fact, many leafy greens come into their own at a time when not much else is growing. Whether you love to eat crunchy radishes, spicy rocket or colourful cut-and-come-again lettuce leaves, you’ll find plenty of growing tips in this collection of articles, videos and Instagram posts. Here are some expert tips to help you grow and harvest delicious winter salad.
Browse our delicious salad seeds for more inspiration.
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Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
by Thompson & Morgan | Jul 20, 2023 | Fruit, Gardening Posts, Recipes
Fat free cherry cake
Jacqui Brown
Jacqui Brown says: "Here is my favourite recipe that I bake at least once a week as I just love something sweet at the end of a meal, but being virtually fat free it isn't too naughty! We are lucky enough to have an orchard in Poitou-Charentes, France with 5 large cherry trees and we freeze the fruit to use all year round. We also have plum, peach, apple, pear and quince trees so I vary the recipe to use whatever is most abundant!"
Lined flat baking tin
Mixing bowl
- Enough cherries to fill the bottom of a lined flan tin
- 3 eggs
- 65 g sugar
- 110 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 50 g ground almonds
- a few drops of almond essence
Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4/160℃ fan/180℃
Beat the eggs and sugar for at least five minutes until very frothy and pale.
Gently fold in the yoghurt and almond essence, and then half the dry ingredients sieved, then the remainder.
Try and lose as little of the air as possible.
Pour the batter over the cherries and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 mins, or until the top is golden and springs back to the touch.
Leave to cool and then turn out upside down onto a plate.
Serve warm or cold with a healthy dollop of natural yoghurt.
Lead image: Cherry ‘Stella’ from Thompson & Morgan
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
by Thompson & Morgan | Jul 14, 2023 | Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts
Icelandic poppies deliver delicate bursts of pastel colour in summer
Image: Poppy ‘Iceland Mixed’ from T&M
The word poppy usually sparks an image of iconic red flowers in summer hay fields or pretty wildflower meadows, but there are so many more colours and shapes to enjoy! Think huge, exotic blue flowers, grey double blooms and purple pom poms that fill the garden with friendly pollinators. Whether you want to grow annual or perennial poppies, you’ll find plenty of helpful hints and tips in this collection of articles, videos and Instagram posts.
When you’re ready to place an order, browse our wide range of annual and perennial poppy seeds for inspiration.
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Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
by Thompson & Morgan | Jun 27, 2023 | Gardening Masterclasses, Gardening Posts
Chaos gardening is the hot new trend of 2023. Think rewilding but with more colour, more intent and a bit of light design. A great way to get rid of extra seeds and avoid waste, we’ve pulled together a collection of helpful articles, videos and Insta posts to help you channel some chaos in your own outside space.
When you’re ready to get started, browse our full range of quality seeds at Thompson & Morgan for fruit, veg, and flowers.
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Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
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