Eating In

The French word for gooseberry is groseille à maquerau, as by tradition gooseberry sauce is the accompaniment to mackerel. This recipe comes from ‘French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David, via ‘Good Things’ by Jane Grigson. Use the early sharp green fruit.

Gently cook 8oz gooseberries in a pan with 1 oz butter until they are soft enough to go through a sieve. Add ¼ pint of boiled cream and two tablespoons of fish or meat juices from the dish the sauce is intended for. This sauce also goes well with roast duck, pork, goose or lamb.