The Result

 The result of all your hard work looks like this :

There is an added advantage – if you like to eat sensibly say, during your working week, then making up a batch of raw slaw will be your best friend – so often we set out with the best of intentions - it's not as easy as it sounds when you're hungry and your resistance is low. The answer is to have your ingredients ready and waiting to assemble quickly.

You don't have to use mayo - you can use any dressing that takes your fancy with the cabbage, carrot and onion – last minute additions of a handful of sultanas that have been steeped in mango and apple juice, nuts, or cubes of apple would work well too.

If you want a dressing that is different and healthy too then have a look at this :

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together, preferably in a jug then

pour into a clean jar (with a lid!) and shake well

The recipe given will give you enough basic ingredients to last a week – a spoonful here and a spoonful there – you'd be surprised how well it fits as a side to lots of main dishes and particularly as part of a sandwich.

Of course you could, if you prefer, dust off one of the gazillion attachments that belongs to your food processor/mixer for which you paid an exorbitant price and, if you can remember which bit goes where, use the slicer cum grater. Oh and create a washing up mountain too!

Strawberries are superb …

... and a very flexible fruit!

But before I move on to the pastry – I mentioned hulling your strawberries in “the Tarts” recipe - a little prep is required if you want the best from your berries!

Hulling is to remove the green leaf on the top and the stalk below – it takes a little time but is worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife is just as good - slice the tops off your strawberries and cutting carefully and gently, in a circular motion, carefully remove the stalks – it'll do the job just as well.

Here's what they look like :

Ta dah!

I think you'll agree it's worth the trouble.

Back to the pastry ...

You could try …

… a strawberry compote – you have a choice here – to blitz or not to blitz this is the question – simply if you are going to blitz and pass the strawberries then you needn't hull them. If you intend leaving the compote as is then I would hull them at the beginning of the recipe.

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Again you can split the batch into two and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

Perfect with ice cream!

… and speaking of ice cream

Strawberries – a very flexible fruit!

Strawberries are superb and a very flexible fruit!

First things first – a little prep is required if you want the best from your berries – and that is hulling.

Hulling is to remove the green leaf on the top and the stalk below – it takes a little time but is worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife is just as good - slice the tops off your strawberries and cutting, gently, in a circular motion, carefully remove the stalks – it'll do the job just as well.

Here's the result :

Ta dah!

Next up – more ideas for your strawberries ...

Chapter XIV – more drizzles

Then there's :

Cherry and Raspberry Compote

350g cherries, stoned – can use frozen

150g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon (2 tbsps)

150g raspberries – can use frozen

4 tbsp water or juice from defrosted fruit

Pour the water into a pan and add the cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Place on a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cook the cherries over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until they have released some juice but are not overcooked. If you are using frozen cherries you will have the fruit juices when defrosted – use this juice instead of the water and reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes.

Add the raspberries to the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool, then blitz the compote and pass through a sieve. You'll get 400ml. Chill before serving or divide and freeze a portion for another day.

Or you might like :

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Again you can split the batch into two and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

As you can see it's not a difficult recipe, hulling the berries, i.e. removing the green leaf on the top and the stalk below, takes a little time but it's worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife and cutting in a circular motion – carefully - it'll do the job just as well.

Finally!

Raspberry Coulis

200g raspberries

200g strawberries, hulled and halved

75g icing sugar, sifted

Heat the fruit in a large pan for 4-5 minutes or until the fruit starts to break down. Add the icing sugar and continue to cook the fruit for a further 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth, add a splash of water if necessary to loosen the coulis. Strain through a sieve pushing the fruit through with the back of a spoon and set aside to cool. Fridge until needed.

Actually you could call the coulis either raspberry or strawberry since it contains equal amounts of both.

Phew, I think that's just about it!

Chapter XIII – the drizzles

A cook can never have enough compotes or coulis or drizzles to choose from! They are quick and easy to make and have a gazillion uses – the usual suspects like toppings for pancakes, cereals and yogurt. Dressing up desserts like cheesecakes – giving that much needed sharpness - quick and simple over ice cream.

Here's the blueberry :

Blueberry Compote

250g blueberries – defrosted if frozen

100g caster sugar

juice of one small lemon

Place the blueberries and the sugar into a medium sized saucepan and cook gently until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to thicken – add your lemon juice. This should take approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally taking care not to break up the fruit – this is a marathon not a sprint – be patient – it's only 15 minutes. If you must walk away from the stove then make sure you've got your timer around your neck.

When the mixture is cooked leave it to cool – then spoon into the clean jar you've got ready!

To save you time – frozen blueberries are available from Sainsbury's or Asda, to name but two 400g for £2.15.

Enjoy the 15 minutes of therapy nurturing your compote – I certainly did!

Having gone to the bother of giving you the blueberry compote recipe it seemed rude not to give you another recipe in which to use it!

Lemon and Blueberry Hodgepodge

Serves 1

3 lemon meringues kisses, crushed if

available – plain will do just as well

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

30g lemon curd – microwave on medium for

10 secs – stir and then the curd is ready to pour

1 tbsp blueberry compote

sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds to decorate

Before we go any further – a couple of pointers. The lemon meringues I found in Marks and Spencer. You can make your own lemon curd or buy a good substitute as a back up – mine is Marks and Spencer's Sicilian.

Finally, the toasted flaked almonds. I toasted them in the oven – 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 5 minutes. I set my timer a minute at a time – checked and gave the baking tray a shake - the colour of the almonds is up to you but don't forget them or you'll be really cross!

Construct as follows :

Meringues, crushed

add scoop of ice cream

drizzle the loosened lemon curd over the ice cream

add the blueberry compote

decorate with a sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds

It looks delicious in a glass dish or bowl!

Another easy assembly dessert option to include in your store cupboard arsenal!

Editor’s Pick #15: My Mezze

Editor’s note – Whilst officially listed as an appetizer you are of course king/queen of your own kitchen so why not whip up a smaller meal for a hot summer's evening. I find I eat significantly less in the summer months – although you wouldn’t know it! – so much so that I use smaller plates when the mercury hits a certain level. Tempting dishes like this are perfect for when I’m just not in the mood - just the job!

My mezze …

contribution that is

As you've come to expect with me, what follows is my take on a Lebanese mezze dish which formed the appetiser for my class :

Halloumi and pomegranate salad

Serves 6 as an appetiser

50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

250g Halloumi – sliced

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

cherry tomatoes, halved

Warm the oil in a frying pan. Season and fry the sliced halloumi for 1-2 minutes each side – set aside and keep warm, add the tomatoes and repeat. Serve in small bowls, sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with dressing.

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Generous pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle over the halloumi and tomatoes.

Serve with warmed mini pitta breads or

rustic bread of your choice

By the way – if you have bottled lime juice in your pantry 2 tbsp of juice = 1 lime.

Editor's July Pick #8: The Fudge follow on …

Editor's note: I do feel that one's palate refines a little with age. More and more I find what I would have considered "Classic" pairings that I once would have passed up, very appealing. Take fruit and chocolate, once I would have never given thought to it but now I completely understand the sharp and sweet combination to give you a flavour that's greater than the sum of its parts. Give this coulis a go, combine with some of the fudge from Pick #6 and you'll thank me!

The Fudge follow on …

… remember the chocolate fudge

It occurs that it can be the beginning of a great store cupboard/fridge/freezer summer treat. If you need a reminder of the recipe then check out “Two down, seven to go” for chapter and verse and for the hints and tips too.

Moving swiftly on - use seasonal fruits – strawberries or raspberries, to compliment and serve with the melted fudge and make a coulis – whilst the raspberry season isn't as long as the strawberry you can buy frozen if all else fails.

Both fruits are a perfect marriage with chocolate.

Berry Coulis

200g strawberries, hulled and halved

200g raspberries

75g icing sugar, sifted

Heat the fruit in a large pan for 4-5 minutes or until the fruit starts to break down. Add the icing sugar and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth, add a splash of water if necessary to loosen. Strain the coulis through a sieve and set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge until needed.

If you feel the need to ease your chocolate conscience, using seasonal fresh fruits will do the trick – all you need now is ice cream!

Speedier still sweets – Rubble!

Bearing in mind the success of Rocky Road, I'd forgotten about this recipe – it's fun, speedy and easy so here's another chocolate contribution.

I called it Rubble because I always get fragments of varying sizes that remind me of gravel and small stones. It sounds strange but bear with me, you'll see what I mean in the photo guide.

Here's the recipe :

Rubble

500g white chocolate

35g Rice Krispies

160g sultanas

140g pecans, roasted and

chopped coarsely

160g dried apricots

130g dried cranberries

105g pistachios, roasted and

chopped coarsely

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Melt the chocolate in a large bowl over simmering water ensuring the water does not touch the bowl. When the chocolate has melted fold in the remaining ingredients thoroughly so that the chocolate coats well and tip into a tray bake – size 32 x 9 cms approx. “Fridge” it for 2 hours.

If you want to add an extra level of flavour, before you begin, heat a small knob of unsalted butter (20g) in a frying pan, when it foams add the chopped pecans with a large pinch of sea salt flakes. Stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until toasted – you'll smell them when they are ready. Tip onto a baking sheet to cool.

Rubble – the plus points and the bonus

White chocolate is popular with the kids – it's not for the chocolate purists but, in this instance if you want to encourage the kids to eat fruit and nuts, it works.

I describe this treat as a sort of tutti frutti – by that I mean the Italian ice cream but using chocolate instead - not the bagged confectionery. Another useless piece of information – tutti-frutti means “all fruits”. Tutti-frutti has morphed into all sorts of different variations, depending which country you're in.

Another plus is only 40% of the treat is chocolate, the remaining 60% is fruit and nuts.

I would definitely recommend toasting the chopped pecans with the sea salt flakes, white chocolate is sweet and the slight saltiness of the toasted pecans helps balance that sweetness.

Cut into cubes, you'll get 96 pieces from your batch!

Rubble – step by step photo guide

a bowlful of glistening fruit and nuts

an important addition

ready to fridge!

 

using the photo above, with the long side of

the tray towards you, cut it in half and then into

six vertical pieces, set the other half aside. Trim the

uneven side and set aside.

turn three pieces lengthways and cut in half, then

in half again until you have 24 pieces – repeat with

the remaining 3 lengths – 48 pieces. Repeat with the set

aside half giving you 96 pieces in total.

 

here it is

The Rubble bonus up next

Now for the trimmed ends and the bits of Rubble and crumb.

Take a look :

the large and the small bits

You'll also get :

the fine crumb

Here's the thing – it doesn't matter what size the Rubble is there's a use for it. Choose your favourite size of Rubble and sprinkle it over ice cream with seasonal fresh fruit.

Are you thinking of serving a cheesecake anytime soon – sprinkle the larger pieces of crumb over the top.

If you're planning an ice cream treat of an old fashioned cornet - decorate with the fine sprinkles.

Are you making biscuits for the holidays – add the crumb to your mixture or use to decorate the tops.

Create a secret stash for yourself and freeze – preferably in different sizes but it's not the end of the world if you throw all of it into the same freezer bag.

Genius!

Editor's May Pick #4: Summer Fruit Tarts

Editor's note: This recipe as the post mentions isn't a new one - but from the photos you can see it's a sweet-lovers delight. This is therapy - taking your time with the fruit size is definitely worth it and I'm intrigued to try the glaze made from apricot jam - especially with the strawberries! If you time it right with the weekend weather you can almost think Summer has come early! 

Summer Fruit Tarts is what!

This recipe is so old I can't remember when – probably as far back as 1986 ish.

Rich shortcrust pastry

as per the recipe given

Filling

250g mascarpone cheese

165g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon juice

A selection of fresh fruit in season

prepped and sliced for decoration

strawberries, hulled and sliced finely, melon balls

kiwi, grapes and banana to name but a few ideas

Glaze

2 tbsp apricot jam, sieved

1 tbsp water

On a lightly floured board, roll out pastry thinly and cut into circles with a fluted 7cm cutter. Line two 12 tartlet trays – or place sweet shortcrust tart cases on a baking tray and prick bases. Bake at 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Beat together the mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Place a tablespoon of cheese mixture in each tart.

Arrange the fruits decoratively over the top.

Heat the jam and water in a small saucepan over moderate heat until smooth. Brush over tarts and allow to set before serving.

The recipe for the filling will give you sufficient for 24 tarts – perfect for a summer party dessert. Halve the filling recipe for the 12 tart cases or double the pastry recipe if you're going for 24!

These tarts are small, which is great, the size of a jam tart, so perfectly poppable into the mouth.

Use whatever fruit takes your fancy or mix it up – my fancy was strawberries, it's worth the effort of hulling – the finished article looks like this :

If you don't like the idea of making pastry then a shortbread stack would work well. The mascarpone cream is good enough to stand alone – by that I mean it's delicious enough with a bowl of fresh fruit.

I took two pots of the cream, together with fresh strawberries, to my friend who has been on her own since the lockdown, despite our “distance” in her back garden it was worth it. I'm not sure who my friend was pleased to see more – me or the strawberries and cream!

Editor's May Pick #1: Toffee Apple Crumble

Editor's note: My first selection for May goes right back to 2017! I've been fancying a pud lately and realised that it was crumble I was after when I spotted a "crumble mix" in a supermarket. I almost bought it when I suddenly remembered that I know a place I can probably get a recipe that will be 10x as good! After having added the bits I need to my next shopping list, I think you'll agree reading through that this is bound to be a show-stopper - even though it's optional I think it would be rude not to include the Amaretto!

On location in SC.

The Sunday pudding

I'm a great fan of mixing recipes and this is a perfect example. Another plus – you can make the base and topping separately and freeze and not necessarily on the same day! Note to self – if you do freeze the toffee apple base then make sure you do so in smaller pots or bags. You can then pull out however many portions you need and assemble rather than waste it – in your dreams!

Toffee Apple Crumble

Pre-heat oven 190c/170fan/Gas 5

For the toffee apple base

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and sliced

115g unsalted butter

125g soft dark brown sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

A slug of Amaretto - optional

Place the apples, half the unsalted butter, the soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice (with Amaretto if you wish) into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

For the crumble topping

150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

250g self raising flour

150g demerara sugar

200g pecans, a mixture of finely

chopped and others left larger

In a large mixing bowl rub the butter into the flour – this is one occasion where using your fingers is better than a mixer – you want a texture to the rubbed in crumb, not fine sand. Add the sugar and the nuts and set aside.

Serve in individual ramekins or make one large crumble. Bake for 25 minutes.

The toffee apple base is also delicious as a topping for home-made vanilla ice cream.

More ice cream ideas!

Remember the fudge … now for the ice cream! Having made the fudge I thought I'd mess about and make a new ice cream.

Here's the recipe for the fudge – I'd make it ahead :

Chocolate Fudge Squares

Takes 1½ hours/ make 50 pieces

400g dark or milk chocolate, broken into small

even sized pieces

25g butter

397 can condensed milk

100g icing sugar

30g cocoa powder, sifted

Line a 20cm square shallow tin with baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. In a non-stick saucepan melt the butter and gently warm the condensed milk, then add the melted chocolate and mix until smooth. Beat in the icing sugar until blended and smooth.

Put the mixture into the prepared tin, spread evenly into the corners, smooth over the top and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. Remove and cut into small squares and dust with cocoa.

Coming next - a photo or two and a few hints and tips …

The ice cream on its own is very easy, the only extra prep is to cut your fudge into tiny pieces. Your fudge is already in 2x2cm pieces, cut each piece into four again, preferably on kitchen roll so that you preserve any cocoa dust and you're ready to roll!

Here's the basic recipe again :

Vanilla ice cream

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, like pipeable whipped cream.

You will need 260g of fudge cut into tiny irregular pieces

including the cocoa dust too

Fold the tiny pieces of fudge and the cocoa dust gently through the ice cream so that you achieve a ripple effect with a hidden surprise of fudge!

Spoon the mixture into a lidded freezer-proof containers and freeze for at least 6-8 hours or until firm. You might also want to consider freezing individual portions as well as larger pots, just in case you need an ice cream fix for yourself – as the cook you need to taste!

Bear in mind that you need to take the ice cream out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften.

Photo guide up next …

The ice cream fudge fotos

the tiny pieces of fudge and cocoa

dust, ready to incorporate

the ice cream base and folding in

the fudge and cocoa dust

tiny pots of ice cream – ready for the

freezer

Strawberry Miso Ripple

First, the compote :

A strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. I'd suggest you divide in half and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

As you can see it's not a difficult recipe, hulling the berries, i.e. removing the green leaf on the top and the stalk below, takes a little time but it's worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife and cutting in a circular motion will do the job just as well.

Instead of keeping the whole fruit or blitzing and passing for a smooth version why not have half and half?

When your compote has cooled :

Gently poor the compote into a large mixing bowl

and weigh the total amount

In my case this was 512g precisely!

Take 256g of the whole fruits and place in

a jar and fridge

Blitz and pass the remaining half and set

aside ready for use

Add the smooth compote to your batch of ice cream and fold gently through creating a ripple effect, then freeze in containers to suit.

Say hello to Strawberry Miso Ripple!

Strawberry Miso Ripple – the photos

the sweet white miso in the mixing bowl

the ice cream whipped, ready to ripple

adding the compote

rippled!

Et voila :

                                                                       one scoop or two?

the ripple topped with the whole fruit compote

Most importantly … the verdict.

Silence is always a good sign, followed by the scraping of the dish, finally two words “beautiful” and “gorgeous” - not words you'd normally associate with strawberries and ice cream but hey I'll take them!

Speaking of seasonal fresh fruit

I don't think there is a more evocative scent of summer than that of a bowl of strawberries, it's just divine and makes your mouth water. Sadly these days shop bought fruit can bring disappointment since a lot of strawberries are forced and taste, quite honestly, of nothing. Buy locally at farm shops or pick your own if you can.

No-churn strawberry ice cream

The recipe will give you 960g

750g/1½lb strawberries

juice of two lemons

1 x 397g condensed milk

300g light brown muscovado sugar

Top the strawberries, cut in half or quarters if large then blitz to a purée, add the lemon juice. Tip the blitzed berries into a large sieve and allow the purée to pass through. As you're passing the strawberries there's no need to hull the berries.

Place the condensed milk and brown sugar into a large mixing bowl and whisk on high for 10 minutes. I used a hand whisk. Eventually the sugar is beaten into the condensed milk and will give you a ribbon effect. Set your timer and have patience – it's worth it. You can help your strawberry pulp through the sieve with the back of a metal spoon. Fold into your sugar and condensed milk and mix until combined. I split the mixture into two boxes. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving – no longer – it softens very quickly.

If you want a perfect scoop dip the scoop into boiling water and pat dry.

As the cook I think you're entitled to taste the ice cream ahead of serving. I confess I'm not a huge fan as a rule but I was intrigued so I took a teaspoonful as I boxed it – one word - “wow” - I ditched the spoon and took another, just to be sure.

Another ice cream of the no churn variety

I cannot claim the credit for this addition to our ice cream repertoire – it is courtesy of delicious. Magazine – consistently brilliant in my humble opinion!

Mascarpone no-churn ice cream

Whisk 150g mascarpone with 170g condensed

milk and ½ tsp vanilla extract (or bean paste).

Pour into a container suitable for the freezer

fold in 1 tbsp of your favourite fruit purée, then

freeze for an easy ripple ice cream.

Freeze for minimum of 4 hours and allow to soften

for 10/15 minutes before serving

I added 1.5 tbsps of good quality lemon curd and served the ice cream with raspberries and then added a shortbread biscuit or two.

This ice cream is full of flavour and a silky texture, not sickly as with some ice creams. I've already mentioned that my friend is over from the USA – who has become an enthusiastic student. He does not do desserts other than ice cream and so considers himself to be a connoisseur in this field – a perfect taster! The recipe is winging its way to the USA as we speak – enough said I think.

Note to self – you might want to consider doubling the recipe – I think you'll be glad you did.

    

Yum!

Editor's Pick #11: Goosegog sauce

Editor's note: Some of my favourite posts from the archives include the historical tidbits to go along with the usual fantastic recipe and this one is no different. Being from the UK myself it's sometimes easy to forget that not everyone speaks the same parlance if you will. As usual, MiamMiam delivers where I forget! So, enough waffle, read on for an ultra-versatile sauce, good hot or cold, sweet or savoury.

Goosegog sauce

This is a really easy sauce. You can serve it hot or cold – hot I think is preferable if serving with the fries. Cold works well if you're tipping it over ice cream.

Goosegog sauce

340g goosegogs

cold water to cover

55g unsalted butter – divided into

25g (melted) and 30g

Top and tail the goosegogs and wash well. Place in a medium size saucepan (18cm diameter) and just cover with cold water – do not drown! Cook the fruit gently and when it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until tender. Drain the fruit – you won't need the liquid. Mix the drained fruit with a melted knob of butter – 25g. Tip the fruit into a sieve and press through, use the back of a wooden spoon to help. Discard the remains in the sieve and tip the fruit into a clean saucepan. Add half a teaspoon of caster sugar and the remaining 30g of butter. Warm gently to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter.

Useless bits of information that you might find interesting!

In the UK cookery books, particularly of a certain age, you come across terms like “add a knob of butter” - I know what I'd add but it occurs to me that there may be someone out there who is kind enough to read this, who won't know.

A knob of butter is approximately 25g. I say approximately because it does not have to be exact as it would be if you were baking which, as we all know, is an exact science. If you look at the goosegog sauce recipe, the butter is used to enrich the sauce so a gram either way will not spoil your efforts.

Whilst I'm on the subject here's another term - “add butter the size of a walnut”. The last time I saw I whole walnut was last Christmas! You won't be surprised to learn that these terms go back to the 1850s. It may be of course that walnut trees were quite common then. Anyway butter the size of a walnut is approximately 30g.

Hey, you never know when this stuff might come in handy!