Chris Maclean: the joy of pickles

Autumn is my favourite time of year. For many, I suspect, summer is the favoured season with its warm and sunny days. Well, usually.

I once heard summer described as four sunny days and a thunderstorm. But I don't like the heat. I feel drained and exhausted by it.

Give me autumn. The colours. The weather. The start of the sporting seasons. And the pickles.

I suppose it's my mother's influence. I was brought up by a woman devoted to cooking and, having spent her childhood in a rural part of central Europe in some hardship, food took on special qualities. Preserved foods like pickles were always about. So I suppose it is only natural that I have followed the trend.

I started earlier in the year making marmalade for the guest's breakfasts. A traditional chunky cut one. Then when the strawberries came into season, several batches of whole fruit strawberry jam. No pectin added, mind. Proper jam it is, too.

As autumn approached I became obsessed with making picallilli. Jars and jars of it.Then I found a great recipe for a spicy tomato chutney and now I cannot make enough of it.

Every batch I make I take to the bar and place in full display on my back shelf unit. The shelving is enormous and my row of pickles, jams and preserves is yards long.

Today I have made a batch of sloe gin and bullace gin in enormous kilner jars. I have cherries in brandy, fruit in whisky and fruit in rum.

But here is the lovely thing. People are interested in it. Somehow it seems to stimulate others. Customers often comment on the range of different jars and conversation goes from what they like to make, what their mothers made and which recipes are the best. Obviously I am guarded when recipes are at stake but people's curiosity compels them to ask.

The best bit for me is when we take down a kilner jar of fruit whisky or some other preserved delight. Dusting off the bottle we decant a couple of glasses and sample them. Just a sample mind.

That whole process of sharing and discovering is wonderful. My customers feel engaged in a process that was born from the seasons.

I doubt I'll ever drink any of my sloe gin. It exists for customers to sample and share. And the pickles get handed out to those who ask or are otherwise sold for charity.

Autumn is my favourite time of year. I like making and sharing. And my customers seem to like it too.