The Farmer & His Wife

John Taylor tries out a “Friend” recipe.

LONG ago, before we were married, Anne and her mother used to spend every Thursday afternoon baking for the many mouths to feed.

One Thursday evening, for a reason I can’t now remember, I called by there. Anne looked quite surprised to see me standing at their back door, but she asked me in anyway.

The thing I do remember about that evening is the aroma that surrounded me as I went into their kitchen. It was mouth-watering.

What sparked off that reminiscence is this. One Saturday evening a few weeks ago, our kitchen on the Riggin was filled with an aroma of a different kind, but every bit as appetising. It was a spicy smell, full of Eastern promise.

As you already know, I rather like my food, and I am particularly partial to cold beef, lamb or pork, as long as there’s some sort of pickle to go with it.

A day before, I had been flicking through one of Anne’s old copies of “The People’s Friend” magazine and had come across a feature on pickling vegetables. The illustration of the pickled celery was especially mouthwatering, a lovely goldenbrown colour.

I didn’t say anything to Anne, but I had a look in her store cupboard to see if we had everything in there that the recipe required.

Answer: green and red peppers and mustard seeds were needed. These items I bought in St Andrews the next day.

“John Taylor, whatever are you expecting to do with those?” Anne asked suspiciously when I emptied my purchases on the kitchen table.

“Make pickled celery.”

She just laughed.

That Saturday night I got out the chopping board.

Anne decided to take an interest and spent the evening looking over my shoulder, making sure I did everything right.

“Your celery’s stringy. Forget the times it says there and keep boiling.”

I did as I was told. The colour was exactly the same golden brown as in the magazine, thanks, Anne said, to the turmeric.

So, as I say, it smelled wonderful, and really appetising.

But how it tasted, I’m sorry to say, I can’t tell you yet. Anne says it has to sit for three months!

I’ll keep you posted.