Mustard And Chutneys

Pot-of-What-LogoPot of What

It’s easy to see where the inspiration for Pot of What and range of chutneys, pickles and preserves came from. Carol Mallen’s earliest memories include her mother making pots of jam from berries and fruits picked from the garden and along hedgerows and from her father’s love of planting from seeds, tending vegetables and fruit cages of raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries, and gardening throughout the seasons.

The family kitchen was always a busy and warm place with freshly picked vegetables and fruits in bowls, baskets and bags, waiting to be chopped and simmered on the double oven or pickled in vinegars and spices before being spooned into glass jars for jams and chutneys, and stored in the larder for later. It’s still the same today with Carol’s father still making his own bread, cream, and yoghurt.

Carol picks only the freshest ingredients from her own garden and local farm and fruit suppliers to produce batches of gorgeous chutneys, pickles, relishes and jams. All are made from unrefined sugar and free from sneaky additives. New flavours and recipes are blended, tasted and added regularly.

Everything is carefully and traditionally made in open pans by hand in the Cotswolds, labelled and boxed up in batches waiting to go out to farmer’s markets, local shops and sent out from orders through Pot of What’s online shop. There’s often a jar of Pot of What on the table at breakfast at a number of Cotswold Village Rooms.

Especially good with breakfast sausages and bacon is Pot of What’s Chilli Jam or Lemon and Mustard Seed Chutney, or Chunky Piccalilli with a hunk of Cotswold cheese and some fresh bread for a picnic lunch.

Do take a peek at Pot of What’s website for the full run-down. Fancy ordering a jar or two for yourself, family or friends? Get a basket out and shop online or alternatively check out their website to find out where Pot of What is going to be at one of the Farmers Markets in the Cotswolds. One click will take you straight there!

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RECIPE FOR APPLE, WALNUT & COTSWOLD BLUE PUFFS WITH MOROCCAN PRUNE CHUTNEY

A lovely alternative for breakfast, brunch, simple supper, or hard-to-resist nibble to keep hunger pangs at bay with a chilled aperitif. Serve warm or room temperature. Makes 12. Serves 4-6

Ingredients

150g or 2 large cooking apples chopped
60g chopped walnuts
45g cut up blue cheese such as Oxford Blue or Simon Weaver’s Cotswold Blue-Veined Brie
2 teaspoons of fresh chopped thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons local runny honey
Sheet puff pastry
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon Pot of What Moroccan Prune Chutney

What to do:

  1. Peel, core and chop apples and add to pan over heat until tender. Remove and drain any excess moisture
  2. Mix apples, walnuts, blue cheese, thyme and honey together in a small bowl
  3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees
  4. Roll out pastry sheet to around 9 inches by 12 inches, (approx. 23 by 31 cms). Cut into 12, 3 by 3 inch, (approx. 7.5cm) squares and brush border of each square with beaten egg
  5. Place heaped teaspoon of the apple, walnut, cheese mixture in centre of each square. Fold over square to make a triangle shape stretching puff pastry to cover filling if needed.
  6. Crimp the edges with a fork or between thumb and finger
  7. Place triangles on a lined baking tray with space in between each one. Chill in fridge for 5 mins.
  8. Whisk a drop or two of water into beaten egg and brush the tops of the triangles before placing in oven for 15-20 mins until puffed and lightly golden. Allow to cool.
  9. Put on warmed plate with a dollop of Moroccan Prune Chutney