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Learn with Rachel de Thample

Preserve the Seasons

Learn how to preserve food (and celebrate seasonal gluts) with jams, pickles, chutneys, drying, infusing and more.

Course overview

Rachel will show you how to make jam with fruits throughout the season. You’ll learn about the role of pectin, ratios of fruit to sugar, how to sterilise and fill your jars to ensure success, as well as how to test setting point. You’ll learn a garden-inspired twist on a marmalade using methods you can apply to classic Seville oranges and more. Rachel will also demonstrate how to roast fruit for jam and reduce the sugar content.

Meet Rachel de Thample

Rachel de Thample has worked in the kitchens of Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Peter Gordon. She is the author of Less Meat, More Veg, FIVE and Teas & Tonics. She and has served as Commissioning Editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated, Head of Food for the pioneering organic box scheme Abel & Cole and as the Course Director of the College of Naturopathic Medicine’s Natural Chef diploma course. She has helped set up numerous local food initiatives, including the award-winning Crystal Palace Food Market. Rachel teaches the River Cottage preserves and fermentation courses. Her latest book is the best-selling River Cottage Fermentation Handbook.

Course description

River Cottage's food preservation expert Rachel de Thample teaches you how to capture the best of each season through preserving techniques inspired by the food from River Cottage kitchen garden, orchards and the hedgerows.

With each recipe, Rachel will give you the skills and techniques so you can apply the recipes taught to other seasonal produce throughout the year, making it relevant to you no matter where you are in the world or what season you’re in.

The course starts with the principles of jam-making. You’ll learn all about pectin, its role in setting jam, what sugars to use, as well as how to reduce and swap sugar for healthier jams. Rachel will demonstrate how to make a stunning Roasted Raspberry Jam with less sugar and Marmalade with unusual ingredients using classic methods.

She’ll then take you through chutney-making and talk you through ratios of sugar and vinegar to fruit and veg. You’ll love her take on Mango Chutney featuring River Cottage-grown squash and apples.

She’ll then show you how to make a brilliant Moroccan-twist on Piccalilli as well as a Smoked Beetroot Pickle and a relish using beetroot stalks, as well as other quirky recipes harnessing ingredients that often end up in the compost heap.

You’ll learn the difference between hot-filled pickles, cold brine pickles as well as fermented salted pickles, demonstrated with Rachel’s take on Middle Eastern Torshi.

You’ll then be inspired to embrace the oldest form of preserving food, and arguably the easiest: drying. Learn to make fruit leather, apple rings and dry herbs for tisanes. Rachel will also share her enthusiasm for infusing, demonstrating Rhubarb and Elderflower Gin as well as herb-infused vinegars (and her famous cherry pip vinegar).

This course is fun, informative, wildly inspiring and will ensure your food never goes to waste.

You'll learn:
  • food preservation techniques including jam making, chutney making, pickling and drying
  • recipes for jam, marmalade, chutney, pickle and dried fruit
  • how to preserve food and flavours by infusing
  • how to create your own food preservation recipes
    • The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Rachel de Thample and River Cottage
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical food preservation ideas and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
    • Independent Cookery Schools Association approved

    This course has been approved by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), recognising the highest standards of training.

    Time to complete the food preservation course:

    Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 15 hours 5 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 3 hours 5 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your gut health recipe assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
    • You'll need:

    Your lesson notes will include the full details of the ingredients you'll need, but you will be making preserved food and drinks, so you'll need standard kitchen equipment.

    Ready to get started?

    Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Rachel on your preservation assignments.

    If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

    Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.