Blackcurrants freshly picked

Jam making

There is nothing to beat home-made jam! It can't compete with the commercial jams on price, but it wins hands down on flavour, texture, and scoring brownie points with friends and family.

Traditionally, jam is made in a preserving pan, but making smaller quantities in a large saucepan is just as good. The pan needs to be large enough to contain the rising liquid when it comes to a 'rolling boil'. Jam changes in the pan when it has reached setting point: it becomes much thicker and starts spitting. To test if the jam has set, put a small amount on to a cold plate and a skin should form.

All the soft fruits make delicious jam and various combinations can be used. Blackcurrant and gooseberry jam are two of the most economical to make as they are diluted down with water.

Strawberry jam

We recommend using jam sugar to make strawberry jam - it's easy to use and usually has the best results. Jam sugar can be used with both fresh and frozen fruit, and is available from supermarkets all the year round.

Simply put the fruit and sugar in the pan together, saving the tedious traditional layering of fruit with sugar. The jam only needs a four-minute boil, therefore avoiding watching the pot for ages only to finish up with runny jam or toffee on the second boil up.

Raspberry and redcurrant jam

The following recipe was given to us by a customer.

• 1 kg raspberries
• 1 kg redcurrants
• 100 ml water
• 2 kg sugar

Wash the redcurrants, remove the stalks and put into the preserving pan with the water. Cook for 5 minutes. Add raspberries and bring quickly to the boil. Stir in the warmed sugar and continue stirring until it has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil hard until set. Pot and seal.

Blackcurrant jam

Blackcurrant jam has a lovely bite to it and suits tastes that do not like food too sweet. This recipe yields 2.25 kg, which is approximately 5 average-sized jam-jars full.

• 1 kg blackcurrants
• 1.5 kg sugar
• 750 ml water

Remove the stalks, wash the fruit and put into a pan with the water. Simmer gently until the fruit is soft and the contents of the pan well reduced, stirring from time to time to prevent the fruit sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to boiling point and boil hard until setting point is reached. Pot and cover in the usual way.

Gooseberry jam

These quantities yield approximately 5 average-sized jam-jars full.

• 1.5 kg gooseberries
• 1.5 kg sugar
• 550 ml water

'Top and tail' (optional), wash the gooseberries and put into a pan with the water. Simmer gently for about half an hour, until the fruit is really soft, mashing it to a pulp with a spoon and stirring from time to time to prevent the fruit sticking. Add the sugar, stir until dissolved and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Pot and cover in the usual way.