Gooseberry Pie

My next door neighbours have just bought me the biggest bag of gooseberries freshly picked from a bush in their garden so I have just made two gooseberry pies out of them. Although gooseberries are quite tart they are delicious in a pie served warm with custard.

I had about 3lbs of gooseberries so I made two  pies and gave one to my neighbours. To make one pie halve the recipe which should serve about 6 people.


1.4 kg/ 3lb gooseberries washed and topped and tailed.
220g/ 8oz demerara sugar ( you can add more to taste if the berries are too tart)
4 dessert spoons of cornflour
4 tablespoons elderflower cordial
Beaten egg for brushing the top

Shortcrust pastry
For pastry use half the amount of fat to flour. I use plain flour and butter.
For my two pies I used 450g/1 lb flour and 220g/8oz of butter.

Sift the flour and into a bowl and add the butter cut into small cubes. Quickly rub the fat into the flour using the tips of your fingers. Add 3-4 tablespoons of ice cold water and work it into the crumbs until you have a soft dough.  Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film. and chill in the fridge for about half an hour.

 To make the pie.

Put the gooseberries in a large bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, cornflour and elderflower cordial. Stir together and allow to stand to allow the fruit to sit for about 10 minutes. Pour the fruit into your pie dish. Dot with a little butter.
Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200 degrees centigrade. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and stick a strip of pastry all the way around the edge of the dish.  Brush the strip of dough with water so that your pastry lid will stick to it.Roll out your dough and cover the fruit with your pastry lid. Brush your pie with beaten egg.
Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes then turn the heat down to Gas 5/180 degrees centigrade and cook for about 30 minutes until the fruit is cooked through and bubbling.

Marinated Pork Kebabs

According to the weather forecast the weekend is set to be sunny and warm. Ever optimistic here is a recipe which will bring the taste of the Mediterranean if not the weather!
This was how my Dad always made his traditional Greek "souvla" or barbeque.
This recipe uses pork shoulder which is a great cut for making kebabs as it has a little bit of fat running through the meat which ensures it does not dry out on the barbeque.
This recipe was also featured in the Marlborough Town and Country Magazine - July issue

Marinated Pork Kebabs
Serves 4

500g pork shoulder - remove the skin and cut into 2 cm cubes
a wine glass of red wine
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
 salt and pepper

Place the cubed pork into a glass dish and pour over the red wine. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for about an hour or if you have time overnight in the fridge is even better. Thread onto skewers and cook over a hot barbeque for about 20 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
Serve like the Greeks do in warmed pitta bread with a Greek salad.