Drinks, Dips and Relishes

This chapter is a miscellany of peppery bits and bobs, both savoury and sweet. Black pepper is surprisingly good in drinks. It adds a contrasting touch of heat to chilled fruit juice that is actually very refreshing. Try freshly squeezed lime juice with best Tellicherry pepper. Diluted with sparkling mineral water and plenty of ice cubes, there is nothing more thirst-quenching on a blistering hot day.

Quinces were in season when I was testing the recipes and I became completely besotted with their fragrance and the way they turn a deep rosy pink when cooked. Working on a quince jelly gave me the opportunity to experiment with pink peppercorns, which, until then, I had not found a use for. Their slightly resinous flavour and mild heat were perfect with the quinces and, of course, they looked stunning suspended in the translucent jelly.