The Modern Cook’s Year. Anna Jones

mine every day (remembering to use a non-metal spoon). If you like a sweeter drink you may want to bottle yours now, if you like things more tart perhaps wait a full 14 days.

      Once your kombucha tastes good to you, you can bottle it. Lift the scoby into a bowl or rimmed plate (remembering to keep any metal away). Divide your kombucha between the 1-litre bottles (a funnel is useful here), saving 500ml for your next batch. Once the kombucha is bottled you can start from the beginning on your next batch.

      Once bottled you have a few options:

      — Store it in the fridge and drink it as it is (it keeps for several months).

      — Flavour your kombucha. I find the best way to do this is using freshly-squeezed or juiced fruits (I’ve found sweeter ones, such as strawberry, mango, peach, plum, pear, guava and watermelon, work best). You’ll need about 600ml so about 150ml per bottle, but you can adjust this to your own taste based on the sweetness of the fruit. Sometimes I add spices too: for each bottle I add a teaspoon of grated fresh turmeric or ginger, some bashed cardamom seeds, a few rose petals, or even fennel seeds. Now you can either put this straight into the fridge or do a second fermentation.

      — Ferment it a second time in the bottle to make it bubbly. I always do this as I love the Champagne-like bubbles. Seal the bottles and keep them on the work surface. It’s really important to open the bottles every day to let the air out so the tops don’t pop off (this is called burping). At the same time I taste for fizziness and when it’s nicely bubbly (usually 2–3 days) I put the lot into the fridge to store.

      Taking time off

      You might want to take a break from brewing. To pause the process, take the scoby out of the jar, separate the new scoby (the baby) from the original one (the mother) and put them into separate glass jars with enough of your brewed kombucha to cover. Place in the fridge and seal, remembering that nothing can come into contact with metal. They will keep like this in the fridge for a few months at least. When you are ready to brew again bring the scoby to room temperature and start the process above, adding all the liquid you stored the scoby in too. If you are organised you can plan your second fermentation to finish on the day you go away.

      Basic dos and don’ts

      — Ideally use filtered but at the very least boiled water to brew.

      — Avoid using any metal during the brewing process; take any rings off when you handle the scoby.

      — Use real sugar. Honey and other natural sweeteners don’t work as well; I’ve tried.

      — Use green or black tea; I use loose-leaf organic. Flavoured and herbal teas don’t work.

      — Wash your hands before handling the scoby, being sure to wash off any soap residues.

      — I wash my equipment every couple of brews using hot water and vinegar (not soap).

      — Make sure the brew is covered at all times, to prevent flies getting in.

      — If you see mould or anything unsavoury on the scoby, discard everything and start again.

      — While I brew with green tea the most, every 5 brews or so I use black tea as it helps the scoby stay healthy; I don’t understand why but it works.

      — If I have a bad batch I brew the next batch a little sweeter and use black tea; it usually solves the problem.

      — As you brew each batch a new scoby will form on the top of your kombucha; this means it’s a good healthy brew and it’s a good sign. When you go to make another batch you can separate the old scoby (the mother) and the new one (the baby) and make an additional batch. Give the old scoby away or keep it in the fridge; I tend to separate my scobys every few batches. If you have too many to find a use for they can be composted.

      Resources

      There are some amazing expert resources online; you can get very specific answers to any kombucha problem in great detail. My favourite is culturesforhealth.com.

      Super chocolate tiffin bites

      These little chocolate bites were born of two childhood obsessions: Terry’s Chocolate Orange bars and chocolate tiffin. I love both but the super-sweet versions I lapped up as a kid now make me a bit crazy, so I came up with these. I make them in batches and keep them on hand for that time of day when I need something sweet. Sure, they have a bit of sugar, but I find the nuts and seeds balance out the hit of sweetness. They are spiked with orange zest, salt and vanilla. I’m always a bit happier after one of these.

      You can mix up the nuts and fruit you use here. I imagine any citrus zest, sweet spice or even a hit of chilli would work well. I use little silicone moulds which double up for freezing curry pastes, pestos and even baby food. You could also make this mixture into a bark if you prefer by just pouring the chocolate into a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkling over the toppings.

      MAKES ABOUT 20

      400g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

      100g almonds, skin on

      75g pumpkin seeds

      2 tablespoons sesame seeds

      1 tablespoon coconut oil

      1 teaspoon vanilla paste

      the zest of 2 unwaxed oranges

      a good pinch of flaky sea salt

      75g raisins

      Preheat your oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6.

      Break your chocolate into small pieces (this will help it melt evenly) and put into a small heatproof bowl that fits neatly over a saucepan. Put a couple of centimetres of boiling water in the pan, put your chocolate on top and leave to melt.

      Roughly chop your almonds and put on a tray with the pumpkin and sesame seeds. Toast in the hot oven for about 4 minutes – you want the almonds to be just toasted but still a little white and buttery within – then remove from the oven and tip into a bowl.

      Once the chocolate is melted, add the coconut oil and stir until this has melted and is incorporated, then add the vanilla, orange zest and salt and mix gently. If you don’t have moulds and are making the tiffin in a tray, pour it into a baking tray lined with baking paper, then scatter over the toasted nuts and seeds and the raisins. If using moulds, add the toasted nuts and seeds and raisins to the mixture and gently stir again. Pour into moulds and leave to set.

      Once set, turn the tiffin bites out of the moulds. Store in a tin or Tupperware box, where they will keep for up to 2 weeks.

      Brownie energy bites with maple pumpkin praline

      I am something of a snacker. I marvel at people who stop at three meals a day. Since becoming a mum, I have had less time to cook than ever before, but it has been really important that I feed myself well. In the kitchen, this has put the spotlight on traybake dinners prepared during Dylan’s nap, meals that can be cooked with one hand, and ready-to-go bites of energy that perk me up when dinner seems a long way away.

      Half truffle and half brownie, of all the things I have tried these have been the quickest to leave the jar. Covering these little bites in chocolate takes a little longer and can be skipped, but I welcome any opportunity to pretend I am in a chocolate factory. I use raw cacao powder here as I prefer its deep pure chocolate flavour (its health benefits are well reported too). If you’re using standard dates, soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes first.

      MAKES ABOUT 30

      200g pecans

      100g cashew nuts

      4 tablespoons raw cacao or cocoa powder

      1 teaspoon vanilla paste

      ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

      175g pitted Medjool dates