Honey-fermented carrot cake jam

This recipe, with its raisins and spices, is a play on carrot cake. I love it spread on buttered toast, but you can also serve it with yogurt, or use it to cap a cream cheese frosted carrot cake. You can even add it to a salad based on a grain such as toasted spelt and top with crumbled feta to make a lovely vegetarian side or main.

Fermentation time 1 week Makes 200g 75g carrots, coarsely grated 1 tsp raisins 1 tsp freshly grated ginger ½ tsp ground mixed spice 2 cardamom pods, seeds extracted and ground A good grating of orange zest, plus 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice 75g raw, runny honey 200g jar with a lid

1 In a bowl, mix the grated carrots with the raisins, fresh ginger, mixed spice and cardamom. Add as much orange zest as you like (add a little, mix, taste and then add more until your palate leaps for joy). Pack the mix into the jar.

2 Pour the honey over the carrot mix, so it trickles right down to the bottom of the jar and fully covers the carrots. Stir everything together to mix well. Top up with more honey if necessary, to ensure there’s a layer of honey covering the carroty mix – but you need to leave a little head space at the top because this ferment thrives with a bit of air.

3 Cover with a lid, but don’t make it airtight. Set the jar on a small plate to catch any bubbling juices, then leave to ferment at room temperature for a week.

4 Transfer the jam to the fridge and store for up to six weeks or until ready to eat. Ensure the carrot is always submerged under the honey, which will become runnier over time as the carrot releases its juices.