Here in the Cotswolds, it’s been a fairly continuous dose of the white stuff since early Friday – and all day today Sunday. Main roads have been kept open though, so traffic has been light but reasonably free-flowing, ‘drive with care’ being the operative phrase for safe travel.

Chipping Norton’s 17th century alms houses (main and above) look even prettier than usual, while St Mary’s churchyard (below) has been transformed into something resembling a picture postcard.

Minor roads in Chipping Norton have seen a mini-snowplough trundling up and down – a most impressive sight, after personal experience of village life, where such things were unheard of!

Also, large hoppers of strategically positioned grit have allowed locals to keep driveways and paths to their front doors reasonably clear.

Whatever difficulties it creates, snow is of course, a magical substance that transforms the mundane into a thing of beauty, and heavy frosts have given many plants, especially their leaves, a Kirlian-like fringe of glittering white.

A beautiful Autumn day means it’s time to raid the hedgerows for their berries. Now, this indifferent English summer has meant that 2012 has not been a bumper year for blackberries, though it’s been another story for elderberries, with my ‘secret’ hedge positively groaning with them

However, it’s blackberries that take my fancy today, so Chippy’s water tower field (below) was the target for a berry raid earlier. They are probably among the last of the crop, especially now we’re into times of chilly mornings. Once frosts start in earnest, the berries will be over.

What will I do with the blackberries? Well, there are plenty of recipes in books and online for jam, but most of them suggest too much sugar, so the finished product ends up over-sweet for my taste. As I found on my first jam-making session this year, a too slavish approach to following a recipe may end up with something that, whilst nice enough, may not quite hit the spot on the taste front.

We’re all different of course, both in how we appreciate foods, and in how our bodies react to them, which is why it’s important to regard a recipe as guidance rather than a straitjacket.

So far as the blackberries go, the early crop was mostly rather poor (not so elders, see pic above) with berries that tended to be small and not very sweet. Small berries take an age to pick too, so it’s a double-downer where satisfaction is concerned. However, it’s better late than never, now that we are in mid-October. Which leads me to the decision: should today’s blackberries be made into jam, jelly or compote?

I’m a great believer in groupthink, so after some deliberating here at TEE Towers, multiple tastebud desires gave the nod to a Blackberry and Apple Compote, so here’s my quick and easy recipe. It’s for a hand-picked 500 gr (1.1 lb) or so of berries. Adjust according to the quantity you pick.

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE COMPOTE

You need:
Blackberries
Cooking apple, a Bramley is ideal
Brown sugar
Red wine

I use a wooden spoon to stir, Kilner jar to store.

1: Wash the berries through to remove any creepy-crawlies or other bits and pieces. Place in a saucepan with 1/3 cup of water. Bring to boil, cover and cook until soft – about 10 minutes.
2: Pour softened berries into a container, place on one side. Peel and cut Bramley apple into fingernail-sized cubes. Add 1/3 cup of water, 2-3 level dessertspoons of brown sugar.
3: Cook carefully. Don’t allow to burn, but do allow the sugar to caramelize a little, to add depth and flavour. Should take no more than 10-15 minutes until the sugar is browned and apple done. The apple cubes should be soft, but not mushy.
4: Add the blackberries to the apples (fold, don’t dollop), together with half a glass of good red wine – Claret or Cote du Rhone is ideal.
5: Bring back to the boil for a few minutes, stirring gently to allow the flavours to blend and the alcohol to evaporate. Add some sugar if this is recipe is a little tart for you, then remove from heat and set to one side.
6: Prepare a container – I use standard Kilner jars – and scald well with boiling water. Pour the compote mixture into the jar, close and seal the top. Leave to cool thoroughly before storing in the fridge.

As for eating, blackberry and apple compote goes with most things, especially morning cereal, or eaten with plain yoghurt as a simple but tasty sweet. Enjoy!

Yesterday’s Transition Chipping Norton 2012 Autumn Fair opened to gentle autumnal sunshine, which stayed all day, making for a relaxed event for traders and visitors alike.

The Town Hall was packed with specialist stalls, ranging from wine and cheese to ceramics and animal illustrations. Outside, the Town Square featured singers, chickens, hand-woven cushions, and a tent displayed the outsize entries received for the Giant Pumpkin competition.

All sorts of raffles and competitions were held, though sad to say the TEE Blackberry Compote lost out in the preserves section to a chutney. Well done chutney we say, but maybe… next year, jams and pickles could be in separate categories, as we’re not so sure that the two very different taste sensations make comfortable bedfellows in a food category.

A word about the Transition organization, which for Chipping Norton at least, has the tagline, “building a thriving, resilient community.”Ahem, this doesn’t say much, so when we find out some more detail, we’ll be adding it here.

No matter: the weather was beautiful, the traders were busy, and the visitors loved it. Enjoy the pix below, and look forward to 2013’s event.

I’ve always taken great care to recall my late Mum’s warning, “Never feed the swans David – they’re bad tempered, and a flapping wing could break your arm.” I don’t really know how true the danger is, but I didn’t fancy chancing my arm on a bet with this large bird, angry or not!

Research for this piece also raised doubt on another belief of mine, that all swans belong to the Queen. I’m told that in reality, ownership applies only to, “unmarked mute swans on open water”, and even that right is only extended to parts of the Thames and its tributaries.

Right then – roast swan for dinner anyone? Maybe not!

Arlington Mill has housed an interesting museum, including a William Morris room. Right now though, it seems to be closed, with a ‘For Sale’ sign on the door. Anyone fancy taking it on?

The artistic merits are hardly at Turner Prize levels, though some may not think that’s a bad thing.

Still, perhaps by the time this blog trucks through the Thames Valley and on to the North Sea, rusty skills will be honed!

The nearest road to the source is a busy one, but there are some places to park, and after a false start or two, camera and I were marching towards “the spot”, about 20 minutes walk across open fields and over quaint old rural styles.

Click the pic to get a closeup of the map I used, then you’ll be able to see the “Source of the Thames” clearly marked.

Watch this space for pix and vids.