There's a growing interest in home preserving with concerns about health and additives, the growth of backyard gardens and farmers market with access to seasonal fruit and vegetables, and the realisation that homemade preserves often have more flavour than bought products.
Out of the Bottle continues with more recipes for preserves but also addresses the problem of what to do with all those jars and bottles proudly displayed in the pantry.
A jam can be more than an accompaniment to scones and cream and a pickle more than a mere friend to meats or cheese, she says, and many of the recipes in this book show how a spoonful or two of a homemade preserve can turn a simple dish into something special.
Examples are how to use homemade sweet chilli sauce in a stir-fry, pumpkin tartlets, chicken and corn parcels, ginger seafood sauce, satay chicken, spicy lentils, raita and chilli con carne; or how to make orange marmalade and use it in bread and butter pudding, to glaze corned beef or ham, to make hummingbird muffins or sticky marmalade and date puddings.
