Cherries and beetroot (but not in the same jar!)

Last weekend we went to two local pick your own places and weren't disappointed! I'd read on their website that Q Gardens has a cherry orchard where you can pick your own cherries which was too much of an opportunity to miss, so we tootled along to see for ourselves. The orchard was made up of a mix of trees, some with dark cherries and some with white cherries and there were moveable metal ladders all over the shop to help pick the cherries higher up in the trees. We picked a couple of punnets and sampled a few cherries as we went - they really did taste better straight off the tree!

We then headed over to Rectory Farm, where I was hoping to get some more jam strawberries. Sadly someone nobbled the last of them before I could get my hands on them (grrrrrr!) so I turned my attention to what other fruit and veg was available and was amazed to see that beetroot was on the list.

Twenty minutes later I had a bag full of beetroot and a recipe in mind! Not any old recipe but a VIR (Very Important Recipe), in fact royalty amongst recipes - my grandma's recipe for beetroot relish. Do not let the over-vinegared beetroot that you were made to eat when you were younger put you off trying this stuff as it is delicious. The recipe uses apples and onions in with diced chunks of beetroot, so it has quite a sweet flavour. Fab with cheese and a beautiful purple colour too. I have 6 jars of beetroot chutney available for sale and will definitely be making more in the next couple of weeks. Let me know if you'd like any - as usual the jars are priced at £2.95 each.