A winner! And more fun things to giveaway.

Happy Jamuary everyone!

We took a little break to visit the parents-in-law, and while we were there the gods of Jamuary were clearly in a good mood, as not only was I served this adorable baby jar of jam with my breakfast one morning...
...but I also got my belated Christmas present of two beautiful copper preserving pans! As you can see they are already being put to good use!

But, before I get distracted by shiny new pans and pictures from our jaunt, I need to announce the winner of the first ever Jamuary giveaway. The winner of the Apricot and Vanilla jam, chosen, aptly, from a preserving pan of entries, is...

Congratulations! Email me at info (at) no98 (dot) co (dot) uk with your address and I'll get on the case getting your prize to you!
It's getting busy in the No. 98 kitchen as marmalade season is in full swing, and with that in mind the next giveaway is steering a little bit away from Jamuary. I've got three new flavours being debuted this week, which will be announced on the wonderful blog A Playful Day (get over there and get playful, her blog and podcast is the business!). To coincide with this I want to offer one lucky reader a set of three taster jars of the new marmalades.

All you have to do is leave a comment (and if you're on Twitter, re-tweet about it) letting me know one unusual way that you use your preserves (keep it clean please!). The deadline for entries is Midnight (GMT) on Thursday 26th and I will be choosing a winner on Friday 27th at 10am GMT.

Happy Jamuary everyone!

Happy Jamuary! (and a giveaway!)

Happy New year all. For some the new year is all about celebrating the exciting things to come. Making plans, clearing out, writing lists.
For me, one of the big things about the new year, which tends to bring cold grey dull weather, is looking back at the previous year's bounty and cracking open some delicious preserves to get us through the hunger gap. I know, I know, this time of the year is all about marmalade making, which I will be doing like a mad thing for the next few weeks. Yet, when JAMuary comes around all I can think about is the excitement of having lots of tasty fruity concoctions in jars to enjoy in all sorts of ways.

Jamuary is the genius of a friend of mine and her other half. After a good ole catch up in November we discussed how I could get people more excited about preserves. We bashed some ideas around and parted ways. Later that night my phone flashed up with a text message. "How about JAMurary! Like Movember is to moustaches, JAMuary is to preserves!"

A stroke of pure genius!
So to celebrate the first year of what I hope will be many Jamuary's, I am going to give you a series of posts about how to use that delightful produce you so dutifully potted and canned in the summer. And to kick it all off, I'm going to offer you a chance to win some jam! Over the next two weeks I will be doing two giveaways, each for a jar of my bestselling jams. I want to get you excited about preserves, thinking about how to use them in different ways, and bring a little bit of fruity sunshine this new year.

First up is my Apricot and Vanilla jam. A best-seller in both deli's and markets, this is a decadent jams packed with flecks of Madagascan vanilla beans and made with organic apricots. Lots of my customers say they enjoy it not only on toast, but gently heated as an accompaniment to their porridge or ice cream! Now that's the spirit of Jamuary!

To enter, all you need to do is follow me on Twitter - @no98limited, and leave a comment here saying what jams you'll be enjoying this month. One lucky winner will be chosen at random at 10.00 GMT on Friday 20th. Entries will close at midnight (GMT) on Thursday 19th.

Happy Jamuary everyone!

Snapshots

With a flurry of markets, an extremely hectic week at work, and working Christmas Eve for the first time, Christmas arrived with both a bang and a whimper. Not that it was bad in anyway, far from it, just that is appeared very suddenly, with a wave of exhaustion and the sudden realisation that lots of things just hadn't been done.

Nevertheless, it arrived, and when it did it was perhaps the best yet. No obligations, not stress, no pretensions. Just the two of us, and the crazy kittehs, in the house, drinking cranberry and fizz cocktails, making a mess and trying to catch up with ourselves.

Here's a small snapshot of what we've been up to over the past week. I will be back tomorrow with news of an exciting month to come.

The tree was decked, with lots of nice things placed underneath.

I indulged in a very small amount of Christmas baking, certainly not as much as I would like.

Christmas Eve rolled around, I dragged myself up the hill for a festive day at work while N dutifully opened the last advent present.

Finally, after a nice long sleep the big day rolled around...

...and was spent mostly enjoying new books and purry dozing company

We went to the Boxing Day match...on the 27th...

...while the kittehs hung out together (somewhat reluctantly).

And then rounded off the week with a very slow, dictionary filled game of scrabble in Italian. We're getting there, slowly.

p.s. I looked back at my resolutions from last year, and was pleased that I definitely fulfilled the first three. As for the fourth, I feel that it should be an ongoing one, because you can never remind the people around you how thankful you are.

Mulled apple juice; or, something to fix the lurgy.

After a weekend of standing outside, trying to be both festive and warm, it seems I have contracted the lurgy. I thought I was fine. It didn't feel that cold on Saturday, I had a great time on the market, did well and even got a glass of port to keep me going.
What could go wrong I ask you?!

Then I woke up on Sunday and felt bleargh. That's the only word for it really. I spent the entire day lying on the sofa being pathetic and complaining about it. (I should warn you, I'm not very good at being ill, it's a bit like watching someone go through the seven stages of grief, accept I never get much beyond denial and whinging).

I gaily got up for work on Monday feeling better and determined not to let it get to me. But by the time I had finished my shift, and come home and done a mammoth session in the jam kitchen, I had to accept that I was feeling more tired that I should be. I woke up this morning and the lurgy was back with a vengeance. I don't like it. I don't like letting people down and not being able to go to work, I don't like being stuck at home knowing there are a million things I should be doing and no being able to summon up the energy for as little as making toast.

Now, where is all this whinging going, you've probably started asking yourself? Well, it's heading towards my favourite discovery of this year's festive season. Mulled apple juice.
No, really. It's amazing. It's such a simple thing, and yet it immediately makes you feel warm and festive inside. Plus, it's a completely alcohol and guilt free drink that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike any time of the day. (Although my gut instinct says that a dash of some brandy in there would be a super addition). I know it doesn't look like much, but the transformation when you put the three ingredients together and heat them is something very special indeed.

It's so simple, it can be multiplied almost infinitely, so you can slake the thirst of any size crowd, or just indulge yourself. I give you, the genius that is, mulled apple juice:

1 mug cloudy, best quality you can afford, apple juice, per person. (I use some from a local farm which is every so slightly tart, which works well as it stops the end product being too sweet).
1 skant tsp honey per person
1/2 tsp mixed spice, per person.

Place all of the above ingredients into a pan and warm together gently as the honey dissolves. You want it hot, but don't let it boil.

Pour back into a mug. Drink.

See! It's that easy, and if you use the best quality ingredients you can it's utterly delicious. Go, make it now...and if you do, could I have a mug please?

Time out, and dates for your diary

I met up with a group of friends tonight for an early festive tipple. As I arrived and was saying hello one of the greeted me with "it was so exciting to see you mentioned in London's Time Out this week." Which I responded to with a "wahh?!", a dazed look and stunned silence. I thought she was joking. But after a couple of drinks and on the way back to the tube station I was marched into a shop, where she picked up the magazine and read proudly that this year's Christmas Food Market in Covent Garden Piazza will include: "guest appearance from some of the hottest food bloggers...baker and jam-maker Rebecca shares the wit of her At Number 98 Blog"
Seriously. I nearly fell over! I mean. Wow! I need to up my game in this little space clearly. If they are going to say such darn nice things about me (and two other very talented people, Niamh Shields - Eat Like a Girl and Chris Dreyfus - Silver and Claret) I really ought to start bringing you a bit more wit and certainly some more recipes.
So I bring you a promise, that I will try and be present more often in this little space, not matter what the pace of the jam world!

But before I begin hassling you with recipes and wit (?!) I shall first bombard you with some dates for your diary.
Calling all those in London and the South East: No. 98 Limited will be rocking the following Christmas markets with Good Cheer and Good Preserves. If you're in the area come and say hello, and have a taste!

Dec. 3rd 2pm-6pm Reigate High Street, Surrey

Dec 9th and 11th 10.30am - 8pm COVENT GARDEN PIAZZA! It's a long cold day, please come and say hello!

Dec 17th 10am-4pm Reigate Community Centre, Surrey.

The official website will also be updated shortly to include a full product list. I will be offering a limited mail order service, if you'd like to buy online. However, please note that postage on jars is a lot, so will be costly, especially as I will only be using Royal Mail Recorded Delivery to ensure tracking. If you'd like to enquire about pricing you can email info (at) no98 (dot) co.uk.

Where I've been...and where I'm going

Hi. I'm still here, honest. I've spent the day sorting. The kind of day that tidies the mind as well as the house. In the midst of it all I popped in here only to discover it's been well over a month since my last post. Oops!

I'm afraid it couldn't really be helped as it's been a ridiculously busy month, and the next is going to be soo much worse! All in a good way though. I've been busy at work, busy at play, but mostly busy frantically getting business stuff ready for the upcoming festivities. I have six Christmas markets on the agenda in the next month, and have already done two. I had no idea things would take off this quickly, so it's been all hands on deck, or rather, on stove, to make sure it's all ready. It's stressful, and exhilarating all at the same time.

I will be posting all the details of the markets I'll be on in the next few days, just in case any of you are able to make it. In the meantime, here's a quick photo round-up of what's been going on.
Probably the biggest news is that I got published. I'm finally in print, and raving about jam and it's uses as a tool for social networking; the way that re-connecting with artisan food making can connect us with a whole host of other people and communites all around the world who are doing the same thing. It's part of a great Cultural Cookbook, which, if you're so inclined, can be purchased over here.
After that I did a few early Christmas markets,

squeezed in a spot of knitting (with no help from the cats) and got busy in the jam kitchen and produced utter chaos in my office trying to get pre-orders packed and ready.
I also got busy in the kitchen at working making some lovely cakes to order. Oh how I wish I got to take this one home. We're not having a Christmas cake this year...perhaps we can have a Christmas cheesecake instead?
Then last week it was the BBC Food and Farming Awards, which I was lucky enough to get a ticket for. I really want to write a longer post about it, as it was an incredibly inspiring event. (and I did a bit of whooping when Locatelli and Huge F-W gave their awards, much to the embarrassment of N and the annoyance of the lady unfortunate to sit next to me!)
The other highlight of the last month? Rediscovering the nice glasses...
...and the delicious cocktails you can make to put in them! No harm in getting festive a little bit early! (above, whiskey and ginger liqour, below, the classic G&T).
Today marks the end of the "free" weekends before the madness begins. I have to say that with the house tidy, and a dash of gin in my system I'm rather looking forward to the craziness that is coming my way. I just hope that I can make it here a bit more often to share it with you.

(p.s. although I haven't been here I have been lurking on the interwebs reading up on what everyone else is doing...I may not comment lots, but I'm loving reading about it all)

Instant Gratification

Things are moving so fast here, I'm in a new work routine (working Monday's for the first time in what seems like forever!), frantically trying to get ideas and products ready for the Christmas markets, and looking beyond that to our long term plans.
Sometimes in the midst of all the pace and the looking ahead, planning and waiting you need a smidgen of instant gratification.

So, with six fat quarters and a Sunday afternoon in the house alone I decided it was time to dust off the sewing machine and throw together a new quilt for the living room. I did the top and cut the backing in no time at all, then waited until this afternoon to hunt out the wadding. I literally had just enough, by millimetres. It was clearly meant to be.
And so now, as I plot projections and think about exciting new ventures that I have to wait until the new year for, I will snuggle up under my quick quilt and enjoy the autumnal light in the afternoon.