The Potting Shed

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

All articles Kintsugi Cheese making Gin making Meat Chilli sauce Wine making Kimchi Gift guides

A board of home cured bacon and strips of beef jerky beside bottles of homemade chilli sauce on a kitchen worktop.

40th birthday gifts for him: kits for the man who has stopped wanting stuff

At forty the scarce things are time and space, so give a project rather than an object: meat, gin and chilli sauce kits, and what to buy alongside.

Home cured streaky bacon rashers on a wooden board beside a jar of infusing gin botanicals in a bright kitchen.

Gifts for the dad who has everything: a project, not another gadget

Three make-your-own kits for the dad who buys his own things, with the one extra ingredient to add to each so he can start the weekend he opens it.

Rashers of home dry-cured streaky bacon on a wooden board beside a sharp knife in a farmhouse kitchen.

Christmas morning bacon: cure it in time for the big breakfast

Start about a week ahead and you can serve home dry-cured bacon on Christmas morning. The timeline, the pork to buy, air drying and how to slice it.

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.

Thin carved slices of homemade doner kebab on a board with a bowl of yoghurt and mint sauce and a scattering of spices.

How long does a kebab seasoning kit keep, and can you prep the meat ahead?

The kit keeps 18 months from packing because everything in it is dried. How to store the opened blend, and how far ahead you can season and shape the lamb.

A slab of home dry cured streaky bacon on a wooden board with a few cut rashers and scattered juniper berries and peppercorns.

How long does a bacon curing kit keep, and how long does the bacon last?

The bacon kit keeps 18 months from packing as a dry store item. The bacon you cure is fresh pork: fridge, freezer, and the signs that a batch has turned.

A doner kebab loaf being carved thin on a wooden board beside bottles of homemade chilli sauce and a curing joint of pork belly.

Gifts for men who cook: ingredients for a project, not another gadget

Why gadgets miss with a confident home cook, three project kits that land, six non-kit ideas and three questions that match the gift to the man.

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.

A bacon sandwich on soft white bread cut in half on a wooden board beside a cast iron frying pan.

The perfect bacon sandwich, with bacon you cured yourself

Why dry-cured bacon makes a better sandwich, how thick to slice it, how to cook it properly, and which bread, butter and sauce to use.

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.

Three small bowls of kebab sauces, white garlic, red chilli and mint yoghurt, beside sliced doner meat and flatbread.

Kebab sauces at home: garlic, chilli and the takeaway trio

The three sauces that make a kebab taste like a kebab: white garlic, sharp red chilli and mint yoghurt, with the method for each and how to build the plate.

A slab of home-cured streaky bacon part sliced into rashers on a wooden board beside a long carving knife.

How to slice home-cured bacon: thickness, chilling and the right knife

Home-cured bacon slices best cold, firm and with a long sharp knife. Rasher thicknesses explained, plus the freezer trick and how to freeze your slices.

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.

Thin strips of seasoned beef jerky cooling on a wire rack beside a chopping board and a sharp knife.

Jerky without a dehydrator: the oven method that works

How to make beef jerky in an ordinary oven: slicing, seasoning, the tea towel door trick, how to tell when it is done and how to store it.

A slab of home cured pork belly on a wooden board beside thin cut rashers and a small bowl of curing salt.

Smoked vs unsmoked bacon: what the difference really is

Smoked or unsmoked, streaky or back: what actually separates them, why green bacon is not green, and why dry cured bacon behaves so differently in the pan.

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.

A cooked doner kebab loaf held upright on skewers, being carved into thin slices onto a wooden board.

Doner kebab in a home oven: getting that takeaway texture

How to get proper doner texture without a rotisserie: smooth mince, a tightly packed loaf, a two-stage bake, a five minute rest and a thin carve.

A slab of pork belly coated in dry curing salt and spices resting in a dish on a rustic wooden kitchen table.

How long to cure bacon: a day-by-day guide to dry curing

Dry curing bacon takes about a week. Here is what happens on each day, why the joint changes the timing, and how to tell when the cure is done.

Thin strips of seasoned beef resting in a marinade dish beside bowls of spices on a rustic wooden table.

Jerky marinades: five flavour directions and how to build your own

Wet marinade or dry rub, what a marinade really does to beef, five flavour directions to try and a simple five-slot formula for building your own.

A piece of pork belly being rubbed with dry cure and spices on a wooden board in a farmhouse kitchen.

Curing salt explained: what it does and why bacon needs it

What is actually in a bacon cure, what the salt and the nitrites each do, the two rules you should never bend, and how the cure works step by step at home.