Hearts, flowers and Fuchsia Jam

We're on a mission. We're on a mission to keep Christmas alive until January 31st. Every year Mike and I stubbornly leave our Christmas lights shining through the long, dark nights. Luckily, the sun is shining on Woking during the day but at night, it can be so dark. Not, however, around Mel's Marvellous Teashop. We have refused to take down our lights and we have refused to put them to sleep for another year. These months can be really miserable for many people now that the lights, gifts, and community of Christmas have drifted into the past. Short days limit the light we need for good mental health and so, Christmas is still sparkling on our house and onto our blue caravan. Despite the frost, she's holding up well under the ice and hibernating her flowers until we start touring again at the end of February.

So, with cheery thoughts in mind, we have got our mood boards out and started planning for 2022. We're resting during January and delivering Romantic Tea Boxes on February 12th, 13th and 14th. This box will be filled with extra-special goodies such as fuchsia jam, chocolate chilli scones, strawberry and cream cheese sandwiches and red velvet cupcakes. The recipe for fuchsia jam can be found at the end of the blog. We love this jam because it's so unusual. We have a well-established shrub in our front garden and last year it produced lots of berries which we gathered and have stored in the freezer. Have you ever tried fuchsia berries? They look a bit like grapes and are surprisingly sweet. Seasonal fruit is limited in the winter months so, to maintain our eco ideals, we want to use our own fruit as well as apples from our Oddbox.

Next time we will be able to confirm some really exciting plans for Mother's Day, Easter and best of all, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June. Until then, stay happy everyone and enjoy the fuchsia jam recipe:

Hearty Fuchsia Jam

Ingredients

150g Fuchsia berries

1 Tbsp chia seeds

100-150g water

1-2 Tbsp agave syrup

1. Place the chia seeds in a bowl, cover with the 100-150g of water and soak overnight.

2. Sterilise two glass jars by washing with soap and water and placing in an oven at 100C for at least 15 minutes. Do not wipe the jars or touch the rims.

3. Blend the berries, chia seeds and agave syrup together, spoon the mixture into the jars and leave to set for a few hours. The chia seeds will thicken the mixture. It will not be very thick but I find that this consistency works really well on scones as long as you put your cream on first (controversial, I know!).