At Lynwood Farm, small pleasures are the foundation of contentment, especially when they chime in with the rhythm of life.
What could be more pleasurable on a cold day than seeing the fruits of summer labour arrive in the form of oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes ?
We all love spending time in the orchard, especially when we know that dinner is waiting back at the house (that's me on the right).
The Seville oranges usually make the best marmalade, but this year the limes came up trumps.
Slicing, peeling and pithing take place in the kitchen, where HE insists on playing his 60's rock & roll at full volume for the whole afternoon. The rest of us retreat to the sun room.
HE has managed to ruin one or two of HER favourite pots, but thanks to HIS splendid thermometer, the marmalade never gets spoiled.
Another small pleasure is the giving of the marmalade to friends and family - but that is likely to be restricted soon as SHE has discovered the Sarah Raven recipe for marmalade ice cream - now more of HIS jars get used up at dinner than at breakfast !
What a joy having the fruit to make homemade marmalade, (and the knowledge of how to do it). Now marmalade ice cream sounds too delicious. I made banana ice cream the other day, (without an ice cream maker), but I must check the recipe you describe and see if "shop bought" does the trick. I favour bitter orange so the two might make a good marriage.
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