If you don’t want to make jam or pickles or dehydrate or juice, you can still use your fruit and veg by bottling them in oil (good for savouries) or honey or syrup. All of those act as natural preservatives and keep your food safe for much longer.

The basic procedure:

• Choose your veg or fruit and cook. I like to oven roast veg or simply sautee fruit

• Place in sterile jars and cover with oil or syrup (equal weights water and sugar) or honey.

• Place jars in a water bath and heat to 75c for 20 minutes.

• Store in fridge for up to a year

Grilled Marinated Artichoke Hearts

I have a confession. I am addicted to a specific kind of grilled, marinated artichoke hearts. They are only found in this one grocery store and come in at almost £4.00 for 175g.

These are just as good and come in at a third of the price, so I have no qualms about scoffing the whole lot in one sitting.

Ingredients:

• 1x 400g tin of artichoke hearts in brine

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 6-7 capers (I have used nasturtium capers here)

• 2 Tablespoons + enough to cover the veg in your jar of olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Instructions:

1. place the veg and paprika in a small roasting dish. Coat in the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2. Roast on high for 15 minutes, until the veg is blistered.

3. place in a sterlised jar

4. Cover in olive oil

5. Either place in fridge to eat within 3 months or pasteurise in a water bath canner.