I'm a huge fan of the ''Slow Food'' movement which was set up by an Italian journalist, Carlo Pedrini, in response to the advance of the fast food culture. I had the honour of meeting the President of the ''Slow Food'' movement recently in Selfridges Food Hall (where we now have a shop) when I was introduced to him by Selfridges Food Director, Ewan Venters. He loved our scented roses and herbs which I was thrilled about as I have long believed that the ethos of our company fits perfectly with the principles of the ''Slow Food'' movement which aims to preserve traditional agriculture in order to both safeguard the environment and ensure that local artisanal products remain viable in the competitive and commercial world in which we live.
We have provided table decorations for one of their events in the past and the UK branch and website are well worth a look at.

My personal branch of the ''Slow Food'' movement was called to action this weekend with a Jam making session. The change in the seasons from Summer to Autumn has to be one of my favourite times of year and, although it's not officially that time yet, the shorter days, lack of sunshine and distinct chill in the air are a reminder that the soft fruit season will soon be over. The pots of jam (blueberry, strawberry and raspberry) are now proudly displayed in my kitchen. Our workshop is located here at Durleigh Marsh farm which has a wonderful farm shop and specialises in 'pick your own' fruit and vegetables in a gorgeous setting - well worth a visit if you are ever driving along the A272 between Petersfield and Rogate. They specialise in soft fruit and this is where I picked the fruit for my Jam.
I also made a delightful Rose Petal Sorbet this weekend and would urge you to try it.

600 ml water
225g granulated sugar
A handful of scented rose petals (bitter yellow ends removed)
1 strip of pared lemon rind
Juice of a small lemon
2 Egg whites

Dissolve the water and sugar in the pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the petals and the rind and boil for 10 minutes. Leave to cool and then strain, pressing the petals to extract the juices. Add the lemon juice and pour into a container. Freeze until slushy then beat to break down the ice crystals. Whisk the egg whites and fold into the sorbet. Return to the freezer and freeze until firm. Serves 6-8.

This is fabulous served between courses of Moroccan food....

What a wash out this week has been.
The roses are in full bloom in my garden and yet there's little chance of spending any time outside to enjoy them . The rain is damaging the heads and the petals are strewn all over the flower beds.
With more of the same predicted for the weekend I've been cutting the partially open blooms to bring indoors and in addition to displaying them all over the house I've decided to collect the petals to make my first ever batch of Rose Petal Jam.
Be sure to use the heavily perfumed varieties and make sure they haven't been sprayed with insecticide!

225g rose petals
225g sugar
4 tablespoons water
1 dessertspoon orange juice
1 dessertspoon lemon juice

Wash the petals and remove the white 'heel' which is very bitter. Place the petals in a pan and add the remaining ingredients. Stir on a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Use a jam thermometer
for this. Cool slightly before pouring into warm , sterilised jam jars and seal immediately.

I will be making my jam on Saturday and will let you know how I get on!