9lb’s of donut peaches…

This is what 9lb’s of donut peaches looks like!

The first time I visited my friend in Italy, she had made a peach jam that was flavoured with bay leaves, it was divine. When I came home I got a bit carried away and bought 9lb’s of donut peaches as they were so cheap at my local market. In hindsight that was too many to manage properly in one go, I would do a lot less another time. Don’t be afraid of the bay leaf, it has a strong aromatic flavour which compliments the peach perfectly. If you are making a jam, compote or poaching your peaches I can highly recommend the addition of a few bay leaves. I also use bay leaves when roasting pork or chicken, a good bunch of leaves under the meat and a few bits stuffed into slits in your pork joint or popped into the cavity of your chicken can give out some fantastic flavour. If you then use the meat juices for your gravy the aromatic flavour continues. Also I think a peach and bay compote would be a lovely change from the usual apple sauce to accompany your roast pork or crackling.

Tip: If you are someone like me who likes to boil up your chicken bones after a roast a large sprig of bay leaves adds a lovely depth to the flavour of your soup or stock.