Haddock's brimeth over.

It's the time of year when everything seems to come in a rush, and the only way to cope is to preserve. The tomatoes are just beginning to over-produce, the aubergines are plentiful, the peppers dripping from their plants, and courgettes are just everywhere. It's time to make Ratatouille.

I don't bother with recipes. I simply take equal amounts of the above mentioned vegetables, cut them into cubes, and cook until of the right consistency. Depending on my mood, I add olive oil, red wine, salt, pepper, dried herbs, garlic, basil, chilli, etc. Then I sterilise for 45 mins and leave the bottles to cool in the sterilising pan.

We still have a few 500 gm jars from last year, so those are being used up as quickly as possible. When the tomatoes become really troublesome, I shall also be doing aubergines in tomato sauce; a wonderful standby for stews, curries, and casseroles throughout the winter. All I need now are a few 36 hr days.