Delicious Citrus

         Meyer lemons














The latitude (43 degrees 38 minutes South), and location (about 1.5 km inland), of my garden mitigates against growing any citrus fruit easily or well - except for the very hardy Meyer lemon. I do have a kumquat, a Tahitian lime, a kaffir lime, and a limequat planted in large decorative pots, which can be kept out of the frost. The kumquat has produced one fruit so far, and the limequat has yet to strut its stuff, but the Tahitian lime usually has one or two edible-size fruits on it most of the year, and the kaffir lime leaves stay green (if a little stressed) throughout winter. They add an authentic flavour to Thai-style stir fries any time of the year.

My two Meyer lemon trees (one big and old, one small and new) are both prolific fruiters, and at any time of the year there are usually enough lemons on one tree or the other to make 4/3/2/ Lemon Cordial. I put together this recipe after studying several others, creating one which has less sugar than most (standard recipes have equal parts sugar and water). It also has  proportions of ingredients which are easy to remember. Another tweak on standard recipes is that I wait until the rest of the cordial is cool before adding the lemon juice, so as not to destroy its Vitamin C. Neither of these changes seem to affect the keeping qualities of the cordial unduly, although I do keep it in the fridge. The cordial makes a lovely gift, especially for someone who is feeling poorly and wants a drink with a difference.

Lemon (and orange) juice and zest are also essential for the best gluten-free cake recipe in the world. That's not just my gluten-tolerant opinion, but also that of a friend with whom I shared the recipe (and large slices of cake) who wrote ''Very much appreciated!  It is the best cake I've eaten since forced to be gluten free over 20 years ago!'' The recipe comes from my favourite food writer, Nigel Slater, whose recipes are always delicious, and never difficult. The thing I really like about his Orange Honey Polenta Cake recipe is that it tastes like it was meant to be made this way, for maximum pleasure, not like somebody left out the wheat flour by accident or design. Enjoy!




             Kaffir lime leaves