May ‘25

Home again

We arrived home yesterday evening after a fabulous month in France. Of course the heat is a shock, I’ve just spent the day ironing linen dresses and blouses, and storing my cashmere in my mother’s Camphor Wood Chest, which works brilliantly at keeping moths at bay.

Deborah Robinson recently asked Who’s eating all the butter? , apparently more butter is eaten per head in France, then elsewhere in Europe! I absolutely love butter and eat it daily (I wonder, am I single handedly pushing up the number of kilograms per head?) I found this utterly (butterly) Spring butter, it tasted fabulous and is made in Finistere!

Sadly there are newly introduced restrictions on food that can be brought from Europe to the UK ( There is Foot and Mouth in several European countries and the measures are to protect British Livestock.) I was unable to bring back any Breton butter, I know my family will be disappointed. It’s back to the Kitchen Aid and pots of double cream, I’ll have to make my own butter (I wrote about homemade butter n February 2023 - I can’t work out how to imbed the link as I’m using an iPad rather than Laptop!)

I still have plenty of marmalade, but a jar or two of strawberry jam will be both delicious and useful. This month and next, strawberries are at their best. Strawberry Jam can be eaten on warm scones for a scrumptious afternoon tea, or it works well in a Victoria Sandwich Cake.

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam is probably the simplest jam to make, it’s good to have a few jars n the pantry and it makes a splendid gift!

You will need equal quantities of fruit and sugar. For a quick jam I tend to use a jam sugar, though cane sugar will work as well.

Clean, de-stalk and slice the strawberries, place them in a large bowl, add the sugar. Cover with a tea towel, leave overnight.

Make sure you sterilise some jars, there are plenty of instructions available, though I tend to run mine through a hot dishwasher cycle, just before I boil the jam, to ensure they are still hot for the jam.

You also need to pop a few saucers into the freezer so you can test for a set. I use the wrinkle test.

The following day put the fruit and sugar in a large pan and bring to the boil. Boil for five minutes, remove from the heat and test for a set.

Take a saucer from the freezer, put a small spoonful of the fruit/sugar mixture onto the cold saucer. Leave for thirty seconds. Push your finger through the jam, if it wrinkles it’s ready, if not boil for a further three minutes, and retest. It can take a while to reach setting point, I have had jam set at 8 minutes and occasionally it has taken nearly quarter of an hour.

Once the jam has ‘wrinkled,’ it’s ready to go into the hot, sterile pots. It will set in the pots as it cools. leave it to cool for ten minutes then put the lids on the pots. Once the jars are completely cool check the lids to ensure they are secure.

We had a very quiet Easter, our first in 38 years without any of our children. I’ve already checked the dates for next Easter, as it’s early in April, we’ll come to Brittany after time with the family. I managed to read a lot. April’s Agatha Christie: The Seven Dials Mystery was far better than March’s book. I think it helped that I read the introduction by Val McDermid, reading it as a PG Wodehouse pastiche, rather than a pure murder mystery brought out much of the humour. May’s novel is Cards on the Table, a Hercule Poirot story.

Emma was my Jane Austen for the month. I’d forgotten how funny it is.

I also read Jane Austen in 41 Objects and A Jane Austen Year. Both are very beautiful books, crammed with gorgeous photographs. The more scholarly 41 Objects compliments the Year perfectly. I think they’d be an ideal gift for someone just discovering Jane Austen, who may be initially daunted at reading the novels, but is enchanted with the various film, tv and radio adaptations that abound and wants to learn more both about the novels and the author.

Photographed with my own Jane Austen objects; a first day cover my father brought me at a fair in Steventon (1975) when I was a teenager celebrating the bi- centenary of Austen’s birth, and a second set of Stamps commemorating the bi-centenary of her death, (2017).

I read Paula Byrne’s The Genius of Jane Austen last year, and bought a (second hand) copy of The Real Jane Austen, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. There is always something new to learn, a fascinating nugget or reinterpretation of a book, character or event, in each book I read.

I read Bookish by Lucy Mangan, where she discusses her love of books. I envy her, her library in her garden in Norfolk. If you love books and reading then both Bookish and Bookworm will be balm to your soul. The irony that I read both on my Kindle is not lost.

Both books discuss her development of reading and her love of Children’s Literature. I’m a huge fan of re-reading childhood books, they have informed so much of our feelings and responses as we progress through adulthood. In my late thirties, I spent several happy, though busy years, studying Children’s Literature for an M A. I loved being able to re-read my own childhood favourites, revisiting Narnia and Green Gables, reminding myself just What Katie Did, experiencing frontier life in The Little House on the Prairie (I loved re-reading the subsequent books in the various series too) and of course rediscovering dear Jo in Little Women. There was also 1930s sleuthing with Nancy Drew!

Recently I discovered some essays Katherine Rundell had presented on BBC Radio 4, focusing on the wonder and importance of brilliantly written books for children. It’s available on the Sounds App for over year, you should listen.

This month I’m looking forward to the scent of lilacs and the glory of peonies.

Hopefully the elderflowers will be out so I can make some cordial.

I simply love a May meadow full of Queen Anne’s Lace.

I will be baking several Birthday cakes, both my grandsons birthdays are this month, and as my daughter is travelling in June, we’re celebrating her birthday earlier than usual.

Plenty of birthdays and cake for us! Plus two bank holidays, two bookclub meetings (for me), a Christening and lunches with friends. I do love May.

Have a lovely month, we’ll catch up in June.

Judith xx