Fig leaves, Pat Jennings, a baby's scalp and an excellent ice cream

Abundance: 22 July 2024

Every time I see a fig leaf I think of Pat Jennings¹.  I was a goalie at primary school and Jennings was one of the best in the world. I liked him even though he and Pat Rice turned up too frequently in the packets of football cards that came with a bubblegum that was the pink of a cat’s tongue, giving you swapsies no-one else required. There seemed to be three Pat Jennings’ for every Kevin Hector.  

His hair looked like it had been piped on by a chef, the main aim seemingly to form a perfect bell in silhouette and to cover all but the lobes of his ears. This was not his most distinguishing feature: Jennings had huge hands. Famously, he could pick up a football one-handed from above. He played much of his career without gloves, adopting them late and giving his huge hands the appearance of enormous fig leaves. Hence…

Every July, soon after my birthday, I put a dozen fig leaves in the oven. As birthday rituals go, it is calmer than 18 year old me might’ve imagined. As with sowing chillis on Valentine’s Day, the precision of the date isn’t critical, but having a notable day to tie it to means it rarely gets overlooked. Over time, the day and the ritual become as interwoven as the branches on the fig tree itself.

The leaves go into the oven not to cook as such, but to dehydrate. It intensifies their flavour and extends their shelf life. 10-20 minutes at 130°C is all they need to curl into pistachio coloured poppadoms, for the veins to turn to copper wire, and the house to fill with a gorgeous coming together of scents from my childhood: popcorn, malted milk biscuits, Shredded Wheat, coconut and candy floss. There is even a deeply pleasing hint of baby’s scalp.

Infused in sugar syrup and dairy of all kinds, that biscuity flavour can light up cocktails, custards, rice pudding or - as below - make a fine ice cream². Swizz a couple in a coffee or spice grinder and the dust that results brings malty coconut pleasure to whatever it’s sprinkled over: rice pudding and hot chocolate are good places to start. 

More words plus recipes for Fig leaf syrup and Fig leaf and olive oil ice cream below