The Potting Shed

Guides, gift ideas and honest answers from the people who hand-pack every kit.

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A brown parcel opened on a table revealing a jar of gin infusing, a gold mended cup and strips of dried biltong.

Gifts for a parent who lives miles away: kits that post well and give you something to talk about

Gifts that survive the post and earn a phone call: a gin that infuses over a week, a kintsugi repair kit, and biltong dried in an ordinary oven.

Strips of home-dried beef jerky and biltong on a wooden board with whole coriander seeds and black peppercorns scattered around.

Gifts for biltong and jerky fans who eat it faster than you can buy it

Which dried meat kit suits which fan, what gear to add, and the three things that decide whether the first batch works.

Strips of homemade beef jerky and biltong in a glass storage jar on a kitchen worktop with whole coriander seed and peppercorns scattered beside it.

How long do jerky and biltong kits keep? Seasoning shelf life and the finished snack

Both kits keep 18 months from packing because they are seasoning kits with no cure. How to store opened blends and how long the dried beef itself lasts.

A dry-cured pork belly, a bottle of homemade country wine and strips of biltong laid out on a rustic wooden kitchen table.

Gifts for grandad who says he has everything

Why the everything-grandad is hard to buy for, what actually lands, three making kits that suit him and how to stop the gift sitting in a cupboard.

Strips of dark homemade biltong in an open glass storage jar on a wooden board with coriander seeds and cracked black pepper.

How to store biltong: keeping it dry, safe and chewy

Airtight, cool and properly dry: how to store homemade biltong so it keeps for a fortnight, how to tell when it is dry enough, and what to do if it goes damp.

A cured pork belly and strips of drying beef on a wire rack in a cool kitchen setting.

Meat curing at home: the food safety basics every beginner should know

Fresh meat, exact cure quantities, constant refrigeration and cooking bacon through. What curing does, where nitrites fit in, and how dried meats differ.

Cracked coriander seed, black pepper and salt in small bowls beside strips of spiced beef drying on a rack.

The biltong spice blend: coriander, vinegar and the South African method

What goes into a biltong spice blend, why coriander and vinegar matter so much, and how to season and dry a batch of lean beef properly.

Strips of spiced biltong hanging to dry above a tray, with coriander seeds and cracked pepper on a wooden board below.

Biltong drying time: how to tell when it is ready

About three hours at 80°C after marinating, but the bend test beats the clock. How to judge doneness, what changes the timing and how to store it.

Biltong vs jerky comparison with homemade biltong and beef jerky strips side by side

Biltong vs Jerky: What's Actually the Difference?

The real difference between biltong and jerky: origin, cut, marinade, drying and texture compared fairly, plus which one you should make at home first.