JAM-MAKING TIPS

Jane Bayou's top tips.

Jam jars should be warmed in the oven before you begin. Warm jars do not crack when filled with hot jam.

If you are picking your own fruit, gather it on as dry a day. Slightly under ripe fruit contains more pectin and allows a better set.

Adding lemon juice to the recipe lifts the flavour of strawberry, raspberry and bramble jams.

Warming sugar in the oven before adding, helps to reduce cooking time, giving your jam a more intense colour and flavour.

Jam shrink as it cools, so fill the jars right up to their necks.

Strawberry and Elderflower Jam

(Makes 3-4 jars)

800g/1¾lb fresh strawberries

1kg/2lb jam sugar

Generous handful of elderflowers (stalks removed)

Small knob of butter

Wash the jars in soapy water, stand them on a baking tray covered with a kitchen towel and place them in an oven on a low setting to sterilise them.

Hull and wash the strawberries and add them to a large pan. Crush the fruit (a potato masher works well) and heat slowly. Gradually add in the sugar, stirring constantly until it is fully dissolved.

Stir a small knob of butter into the pan and bring the jam to the boil for about four minutes and remove from the heat. Skim off the scum on the surface with a spoon and allow the jam to cool for about 20 minutes.

Pot, cover and label.

To add the delicious scent of elderflowers to your jam, you can put them in a jelly bag in the jam while it is cooking or if you like the appearance of the flowers, you can simply add the flowers just before the jam has cooked and bottle as before.