Having recently been ill, I am enjoying relaxing, guilt-free, in this lovely sunny weather. But how do you bottle this sunshine and make it last all year round? Well Opies literally do this (OK, not literally sunshine, but their bottled products are as good as).

Opies is an old family business, based in Kent since the 1920s, and the local fruit and nut trees have influenced their passion for making amazing preserves over the years.

For those with a sweet tooth I can highly recommend their fruits preserved in syrup and various alcohols. They are delicious in various recipes which are available on their website, or if you are feeling lazy and decadent, just put a generous dollop of their Apricots with Jim Beam on some some vanilla ice-cream – perfect.

However my favourite is the pickled walnuts. When Len Goodman used to threaten to pickle his, I had no idea about this scrumptious delicacy. Opies have enlightened me. They take the green walnuts, whilst the shell is still soft and prepare them by hand for pickling. The result is an earthy flavour, with a distinctive tangy after-taste. Absolutely delicious as a slice on top of biscuits and cheese, or adding a couple to a stew will provide depth and interest.

But don’t take my word for it – try any of their products. They also make lovely gifts.

 

 

Photos provided by Splat Marketing

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk