A major benefit to having areas of scrubland, apart from the diverse wildlife of course, is the enormous crop of blackberries that appear in the autumn. Gill is a great believer in collecting as many as possible and freezing them for use in pies throughout the year.

My interest is in rose hips and hawthorn berries and I have experimented with syrups and sauces with good success. (recipies to follow shortly).

Sloe gin is also on the go and we look forward to tasting this at Christmas!