You say tomato, we say hawberry. Treat your chips to a tangy alternative dip this autumn.
Photos by Lyndsey Haskell
The fruit of a hawthorn tree - haws - are abundant at this time of year. In fact, once you recognise these tart, bright red berry-like fruits, you’ll start to see more of them than even the ubiquitous blackberry. The haws of the Common Hawthorn (the name ‘haw’ originates from the Old English term for hedge) are edible but taste rather like over-ripe apples. This tartness, however, makes for a delightfully tangy condiment and you only need 500g to make a couple of bottles of ketchup. Here our most recent stockist, Lyndsey from What You Sow shares her recipe for this autumnal treat.
The leaves, berries and flowers of hawthorn are used in traditional medicine to treat diseases of the heart and blood and digestive complaints. Seek medical advice before consuming the berries if you have a cardiac or circulatory disorder and always make sure you are 100% sure of a plant’s identity when foraging.
You will need
500g haws
300ml apple cider vinegar
300ml water
150g light brown sugar
Salt and pepper
How to make it
Remove all stalks and leaves.
Wash haws.
Place haws in a pan and bring to the boil with the vinegar and 300ml water. Simmer for 30 minutes until soft.
Push the fruit through a sieve to make a puree. Discard the skins and pips.
Put the puree back into the pan. Add the sugar and allow to dissolve. Simmer for 5 more mins.
Decant into sterilised bottles and enjoy.
