A Taste of Childhood

Although we have five senses, our memories usually draw on only one or two. A handful of grainy, black & white photographs are all that remain from my pre-digital childhood. In an era when film was expensive, and there were no smart phone selfies or Instagram images, the taking of photographs was usually reserved for special occasions, such as the annual holiday in Llandudno, a cousin’s wedding or Christmas. After the precious roll of film had been carefully removed from the camera and taken to Boots the Chemist for development, we would await the results with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Committing the ‘finger-across-the-lens' shots and those where auntie’s feet had been removed with surgical precision, to the bin, we would share the stories behind each successful shot, before the collection was returned to its paper envelope for storage in an upstairs cupboard alongside jigsaws, board games and Christmas baubles. Being a visual learner, few of my childhood memories relate to any of the other four senses. Here and there one surfaces occasionally: the feel of the crisp organza of my ‘Anniversary’ dress; the stilting sound of ‘Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms’ played on the toy organ, a long lost Christmas present; the smell of antiseptic as I joined the quaking queue outside the Medical Room in my primary school for the polio vaccination. And then there’s taste, possibly the most difficult to pin down. However, this week, I was transported back to the nineteen-fifties by a jar of Bramble Jam. It was a fine day and having a glut of apples, my husband and I decided to take a walk along Cut Throat Lane, near our house. We set out with the intention of picking enough blackberries to add to the apple pies that I was planning to bake later that day. The timing of the collection of hedgerow crops is crucial: too early and the fruit is not ripe; too late and it has been taken by birds or hedge cutters. We returned with over a kilogram of blackberries, a few hazelnuts and a handful of sloes. I am always mindful to leave a good selection in the fruit and vegetable aisle of nature’s well-stocked supermarket, so that the wildlife inhabiting the narrow corridor between field and lane is well-provided for. The apple and blackberry pies were duly baked (and eaten), but a small mountain of our foraged fruit remained. Having turned some into pie filling and placed it in the freezer, I decided to consult Google about a recipe for Bramble Jam. Nothing too complicated, nothing requiring pectin, jam thermometers, straining through muslin or the like. Having located a bag of preserving sugar at the back of the pantry and retrieved one slightly withered lemon from the fruit bowl, I set to. The kilner jar was washed and placed in the oven to sterilise it, while the fruit simmered on the hob. I think the instruction at the end of the recipe wagged its finger directly at me, ‘Your jam is then ready to eat the following day’. Reluctantly, I obeyed and the wait was worth it. With the first mouthful of this sweet preserve, I was transported back to my childhood and was standing next to my mother in the kitchen, while she skimmed the froth from the bubbling boil and tested for a ‘set’ on a cold plate. Heaven!

N.B. You will note that the jar is already less full than it was, so to compensate I have added a photograph of the apple and blackberry pies, before they were attacked! The recipe was from BBC Good Food, and was very simple to follow. Ingredients • 350g Blackberries • 350g Preserving sugar • Juice of 1 lemon • Knob of butter Method 1. If you have hand picked your blackberries from the wild then first you will need to soak the fruit in salted water for a couple of hours. This cleans and destroys any bugs. After soaking rinse well in clean water. 2. Prepare your jars: you will need a minimum of two empty jars with lids. Ensure they are clean. Warm in an oven on about 100 degrees C. 3. Place your blackberries, sugar and lemon juice into a large saucepan and place on the hob on a low heat. 4. Gently heat and fold the sugar into the blackberries until dissolved. 5. Bring the fruit to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally and let the fruit simmer for about 10-12 minutes. A slight froth should start to appear as the fruit boils. (Do not feel tempted to increase the heat to boil quickly. The key is a gentle boil). 6. Place a knob of butter on top of the fruit and stir across the top into the froth. The butter is used to break down the froth. If you still have excess then remove the frothy bubbles with a spoon. Remove saucepan from heat. 7. Do the fridge test: place a small amount of jam on to a plate and place in the fridge. Leave for a few minutes and then remove. Tilt the plate and the jam should crinkle. If the jam is still runny then place back onto heat and boil gently for a further 2 minutes. Test again. 8. You are now ready to place your mixture into your jars and place lids on. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge. 9. Your jam is then ready to eat the following day.