Chunky Strawberry Jam

In my quest to become the best vegan house wife (to be) ever, I recently ventured into the realm of jam making and if I’d known just how easy it was, I would have definitely attempted it far sooner.  If you ever wanted to feel accomplished like a 1960s housewife this is the ticket!  Now all I need to do is learn how to darn socks... (I’ve already mastered vacuuming with a martini – I don’t spill a drop).

This recipe uses frozen strawberries…that I bought at Tesco….ahem – but I promise my next batch will be from an organic farmers market, in season (or from my very own garden, in a few years time when I get the itch to become the best gardener EVER – watch this space).    

The best thing about jam though is that the jars look so pretty with a bit of ribbon and some old cloth and make the perfect gift - an excellent excuse to show off just how accomplished you are! 

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

All you need are frozen strawberries and their weight in jam sugar (or a little less if the fruit is very sweet).  For example, I used 800g of frozen strawberries and 800g of jam sugar (which you can find in the supermarket).

Method:

Tip the strawberries onto a pot and defrost over low heat.

Once the strawberries have defrosted, add the sugar and stir gently, until dissolved.

Bring the mixture to the boil and boil until it has reached the setting point (when a wee teaspoon of jam on a cold plate wrinkles if you push it - about 8 minutes for my 800g batch), always keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t spill over.

Once it has come to the setting point, take it off the heat and leave it to cool before popping into jars.

Notes:  I love whole fruit jam, but if you prefer yours smooth, you can always crush the berries before adding the sugar.  For fresh fruit, slightly under ripe fruit works best, because they have more pectin, which helps jam to set.