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Damson Day, Myth or Mystery....

Location: Blogs Chef Nick Martin
Posted by: chefnick	Saturday, April 14, 2007
" What is a Damson " as a young chef asked Me 2 day's ago !!! I can remember having damsons in pies, crumbles, rice pudding and even baked in sponge with custard, admittedly that was when I was a child back in the 70s. But I still like them and I have used them in recipes and cooking both at home and at work for over 25 years now. Yet today’s generation don’t seem to know anything about them, lots of raised eyebrows when you mention this glorious fruit which is just as much part of the heritage of Cumbria and the Lyth valley as the daffodils in Grasmere and Coniston old man. There are the classics of damson cobbler, damson and apple pie, damsons and rhubarb, a glass of chilled damson gin is refreshing and delicious, add lots of ice and top it up with lemonade for a summer patio drink. It is superb cooked with venison or added to a marinade for all kinds of game dishes,Damson relish goes with any kind of cheese, Blengdale blue and damson relish on warm crusty bread is a real show stopper. Hawkshead Relish have just created Damson, apple and date relish which I know will just scream for strong cheddar or baked goats cheese. I’m doing live demos at damson day this weekend at Low farm in the Lyth Valley, I’ve been wracking my brains for weeks now coming up with all kinds of food combinations using damsons. I felt a bit like “Bubba “in Forest Gump when he starts telling Forest all about shrimps! If you haven't ever tried Damsons then do yourself a favour and check out the recipes from Damson Day, you’ll be pleasantly surprised as they are versatile and easy to use, and a damson gin and tonic is fantastic. Click here for more information on Damson Day Nick...

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