A few unexpected handfuls of hedgerow damsons became one small jar of beautifully dark, tart jam. This tiny-batch recipe uses just 150g of fruit - because preserving what’s in season doesn’t have to begin with kilos of it.

Elderberries always feel like one of the first little nudges towards autumn for me - even when I'm still very much holding onto summer. They sit beautifully between food and medicine, summer abundance and autumn preparation. Gathering them gives me a small job to do now that helps me begin imagining and preparing for the season ahead, without needing to hurry summer out of the door. They're unusually early here in the UK this year, so rather than rushing to turn them into syr