Rivington Pike Chutney; Potted Cheese; Bramble-Blackberry Curd FARMHOUSE RECIPES FROM 100YRS AGO

Farmer's wives are reknowned the world over for being frugal and able to make a feast out of "next to nothing'.
They along with the old American Pioneers managed to feed large families with whatever they could find/grow.
It is with this in mind and the fact that America is headed towards Thanksgiving, that I am featuring some of these recipes.

Some of these recipes hark back from a time over 150 yrs ago from the north of England, and some I have picked up from my world wide travels learning my craft.

Rivington Pike  Chutney

Rivington Pike is a place on the Lancashire Moors, that overlooks my hometown of Chorley, Lancs. It boasts a few follies from the Victorian age,  (an ornamental garden and castle built by a soap manufacturer Lord Lever, I believe and the remains of a zoo too),as well as a tower that was used as a beacon when wars broke out  as in  the English Civil War etc. and there were no telegraph lines.


1 pound raisins 
2 cups red wine vinegar (used to be malt vinegar)
soak overnight

then place in an ovenproof ceramic/enameled dish (not aluminum as it will stain).
along with
 2 cups finely minced onions
2 cups chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped pitted prunes
2 pounds chopped ripe bananas
1 cups packed brown sugar
3 inches root ginger grated
2 tsp salt

PREHEAT OVEN 300F
mix well together then cover and simmer in  middle oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours until the whole mix turns bright red.
Bottle and seal as for jam.

POTTED CHEESE

this is a great way to use up any old (not moldy) cheese

1 cup grated (hard) cheese, including rinds
1/2 stick  butter

using a mortar and pestle..cream together well, then beat in 
2 tsp Dijon or English prepared mustard
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp wine vinegar
2 tbsp double cream

Mix well together until the mix resembles cream.
Pack into small pot (s)

Melt butter and pour over top to form a seal..refrigerate and serve with crackers.

Bramble-blackberry /Raspberry Curd
 1 1/2 cups raw blackberries or raspberries
1 cup green apples chopped ( do not peel nor core)

Add to a heavy bottomed pan and heat slowly, crushing with  a fork or potato masher to draw out their juices..up to an hour.

Rub through a sieve into a double boiler.
2 lemons
1 pound cubed sugar...rub the skins of the lemons with the cubed sugar to extract the color and oils, add to the blackberry mix.
Add to this 1 stick butter and juice of 2 lemons ( 1/4-1/2 cup)

Over boiling water add cook this mix until the sugar is dissolved.
Add one at a time, 4 large eggs, (each one beaten)
Stir with a wooden spoon until the mix thickens  ( to coat back of spoon) then pot and seal.
Great with hot fresh biscuits, scones, tarts & etc. where ever you  would use lemon curd.
This is a great purple color.