Julia Child's lamb stew and strawberry jam

I made Julia Child's lamb stew last week, recipe from her book 'Mastering the art of French cooking'. I didn't follow the recipe exactly - I cooked everying in one pot on the stovetop (who needs the extra washing up and our oven is broken) and I used a can of tomatoes rather than fresh ones. I think the main difference comes from using various cuts of meat -I used a mixture of lamb chops and lamb forequarters. I also browned the meat with sugar and flour as the recipe said. It was delicious! I am keen to try other recipes from the book.



I couldn't walk away from these strawberries on sale, and they became jars of jam using my trusted bread-maker. I made 4 batches in two days, each with a slightly different sugar content. I meant to write it all down straight away but didn't. Luckily they didn't taste that different. After giving away 3 jars, I still have 5 left in the fridge. The jam can be improved upon but it tastes a lot 'fresher' than your average supermarket varieties. Lara and parents-in-law like them on toasts for breakfast. I can't wait to try other summer fruit (eg plum)!