Blog – Bangers & Balls

08/10/2021

How did Rosehips Help Us Win the War?

When it comes to flowers, there are few the brits love quite as much as the rose. Its beautiful blooms and breathtaking scent have enthralled the hearts of the nation for over half a millennia (since the Tudor Rose became our nation’s emblem), despite the bite of its sharp thorns. This love is shown in […]

07/10/2021

Brace for the Turkey Nightmare before Christmas 2021.

t’s a bit of a cliche these days to say that Christmas comes earlier each year. In the Kitchen Table Revolution, we started preparing for yuletide festivities way back in January when we set aside a special jar of home-made marmalade. It continues throughout the year, having just bottled our stash of Sloe Gin and visited a pear tree (minus the partridge) to gather the main ingredients for this weekend’s make; Rosehip and Pear Jelly (see recipe below). The perfect alternative to cranberry sauce to go with this year’s Turkey.

30/09/2021

Lifting the Lid on a Kitchen Classic: Why Nutella is a No-Go

When it comes to hedgerow foraging, one of our favorite seasonal gems is the humble hazelnut. It’s deliciously nutty and fantastically versatile- a true treat. This week’s recipe centers around this hedgerow hero, pairing it with silky smooth chocolate- a true match made in heaven. For those of you yet to buy our latest bestseller: […]

29/09/2021

Juniper 101; Terrific Tipsy Tales and Sozzled Stories.

Researching for this blog I opened a veritable Pandora’s box of folklore. Apparently juniper could be used for anything from Protecting your home from thieves and witches, treating burns and even a vaginal douche. Oh, and making Gin of course.

It is my job to distill the stories to the very spirit of what this seemingly powerful plant meant to our ancestors and indeed still means to many people today. This is no mean feat, as Juniper turns out to be one of the most widespread shrubs in the Northern Hemisphere, being found from the arctic tundra in the North, right to the edge of the tropics in the South, and everywhere in between.

08/09/2021

Crab Apple: The Look of Love

The crab apple is the prehistoric ancestor of the apple and cousin of the rose. There is so much myth and legend that surrounds it, not least because of the shape that lays inside – a pentagram. Slices of apples placed neatly on saucers have been found in tombs dating back over 5,000 years. The […]

25/08/2021

Blessed be the Fruit? Blackberries and Beelzebub

A berry-laden blackberry bush is an iconic symbol of the end of summertime. It seems to soften the blow of autumn’s ceaseless approach- a sweet treat gifted in commiseration for the return of dark, cold days. A single bush will attract a whole village- suited commuters, sullen teens and sprightly children all stopping a moment […]

05/08/2021

Pop your Cherry with our Forgaing Fairystories.

The cherry tree is perhaps best recognised as an icon of spring- it’s lightly pink or white blossoms arriving around easter, marking the festival of rebirth and new beginnings. It has become a global favourite, with people the world over waiting with bated breath for the jaw-droppingly beautiful explosion of blossom. As many beautiful blossom […]

30/07/2021

Umami: The Mysterious History of the Elusive Fifth Flavour

Come with me now on a journey through time and space, to the fifth dimension of flavour, Umami. It’s the dawn of time. Our ancestor is examining the remains of her charred jungle home after narrowly escaping a devastating forest fire with her life. Just a little way from the edge of where the inferno […]

29/07/2021

Foraging Fairytales: Bilberry Sunday

What are your plans for this weekend? Well- drop them all. It’s time to fall in love. The Bilberry is known by many different names across Europe. In Ireland, the small blue-black berries are known as Rachóg, Whorts, Hurts or Heatherberries. In the UK, Bilberries are a rarer foraging find- best picked on a day […]

14/07/2021

10 Remarkable Reasons to get out and Forage for Seaweed

Have you ever foraged for seaweed? Maybe you’ve thought about it, but not known quite where to start. I know the feeling. I was initially hesitant to forage seaweed. Despite their beauty (have you ever seen a kelp forest?), it’s easy to be put off by the dead clumps of seaweed that wash up on […]