Edible Gifts. Jane Lyster

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       Introduction

      This book contains projects for you to create and give to your friends while helping you to develop your own artistic style. Lots of the recipes here are old favourites that have been reinvented to be enjoyed anew.

      The beauty of making edible gifts is that you can create beautiful, unique gifts, often at a fraction of the price of anything you would find in the shops. But often the nicest gifts are those that come as a complete surprise, especially if they have been made by hand. These gifts really can be anything: jars of blackberry jam with a loaf of freshly baked bread or a tray of ready-to-plant-out tomato plants. The reason for giving is just to say ‘I’m thinking of you’ and however wobbly, unset or rock-hard crunchy, it’s a pleasure to receive anything that a friend has taken the trouble to make with you in mind.

      Of course in the world we live in today there is no need to make a thing, as every conceivable item can be purchased. ‘Homemade’ doesn’t always suggest luxury or desirability. What if your carefully crafted gift turns out to be a catastrophe? Fear not. These projects are very simple and I hope that by my own experimentation I have ironed out the disaster potential.

      Presents are given and received the whole year round although Christmas is the time when most people think of making delicious edible treats for their friends and family. However, anyone who loves baking and creating in the kitchen will soon find any excuse to make some of the projects in this book, whether it’s a birthday, a wedding, a moving house gift or simply a little something to cheer up a friend.

      There is always a rush of excitement and delight that comes when you produce a beautiful gift for a loved one. I love the thought of going out into the countryside to pick a basket of blackberries or sloes (blackthorn fruit), coming home with them as if I am carrying unearthed treasures. Back in my kitchen I set myself up at the table. A pot of tea and the afternoon radio play are my companions. Slowly I prepare my found jewels, picking over each one to look for defects and bruising and sorting into three piles: the perfect specimen pile, the middling pile and the not-so-sure-if-it-lasted-the-journey-home pile. As I work I consider what these piles will become. Shall I make jam, or drown then in alcohol? Who can I give them to or share them with? Will I manage to get them as far as someone else before I have to just sample a little more to make sure it tastes just right?

      Making personalized gifts for your friends really will give you as much pleasure as receiving a present yourself and once you have mastered a few very simple techniques, you’ll soon be hooked on handmade treats. Use the projects in this book as inspiration and you’ll begin to look at all sorts of produce and packaging in a whole new light.