Sauternes jelly (pictured above)
Prep 30 min
Rest 2+ hr
Cook 1 hr
Makes 5 × 125ml jars
500g green grapes, washed and destalked
1 large cooking apple (about 250g), rinsed, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 unwaxed lemon, roughly chopped
400g granulated or preserving sugar
1 × 375ml bottle sauternes or muscat dessert wine
1–2 tbsp brandy (optional)
Pulse the grapes in a food processor a few times, add the apple and lemon, and pulse these, too.
Put all the fruit in a roomy pan with 400ml water. Cover and bring to a simmer for 25–30 minutes, until reduced to a pulp; press down with a potato masher or jam skimmer towards the end of cooking.
Strain the cooked mixture through a scalded jelly bag or set over a large bowl, or double-strain in a fine sieve. Leave to drip through for several hours or overnight, as necessary.
Towards the end of this time, sterilise the jars and twist-on lids. One way is to wash them in plenty of hot, soapy water, rinse and put in a 140C (120C fan)/gas 1 oven for 15 minutes. Another is to sterilise the jars and lids in a water bath: put in a stockpot and cover completely with water. Simmer the jars for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and leave the jars and lids in the hot water until ready to fill.
Meanwhile, chill a couple of saucers or spoons in the freezer.
Pour the grape stock into a measuring jug, discarding any sediment. Measure out 350ml into a large, heavy-based pan or preserving pan, and bring to a boil. Add the sugar a third at a time and stir lightly until it has dissolved. Increase the heat to a steady boil for five minutes; the surface will be covered with white bubbles. Remove the pan from the heat and stir (in one direction only) to disperse the bubbles. pour in the wine and return the pan to the heat.
Boil again for eight to nine minutes, until setting point is reached: to test, take a saucer/spoon from the freezer and drop a little of the hot preserve on to it. Leave for a minute to cool, then lightly push your finger through to see if it comes together in a gel that holds its shape. Take off the heat and lightly stir in the brandy, if using. Rest the mixture for a few minutes, then tip into a wide-necked jug with a good pouring lip – if a skin has formed then first remove with a slotted spoon or jam skimmer and tap the jug carefully on the work surface to knock out any air bubbles.
Pour the jelly into the jars, filling to the brim, and seal immediately. Invert the jars for a minute or so, to ensure the lids are sterilised, then turn the right way up and leave to cool.
Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to a year. Keep in the fridge once opened and use within three to four months.
Smoky beetroot ketchup
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Makes 3 × 300ml jars
750g beetroot, peeled and cut into roughly 2cm chunks
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
400g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
200ml cider or malt vinegar
100g light soft brown sugar
2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2–3 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp fine sea salt
A few grinds black pepper
Sterilise your jars and lids as above.
Put the beetroot in a large pan with the fennel and 500ml water. Cover and bring to a simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the beetroot is thoroughly tender.
Add the apples and vinegar, cook for a further 15 minutes, until the apple has completely broken down, then remove from the heat.
Tip the mixture into a food processor and blitz until totally smooth, or use a stick blender to pulverise it in the pan – but go carefully: you don’t want beetroot splattered over the ceiling. Return the mixture to the pan and stir in the sugar, spices, salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, or until the ketchup is thick but pourable, stirring from time to time.
Using tongs, carefully lift the jars from the water bath and put them on a folded tea towel or wooden surface. Pour the jam into the jars, filling to the brim, and seal immediately.
Return the sealed jars to the water bath and bring to a simmer for five minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the pan and leave to cool on the folded tea towel or wooden surface. Store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to a year. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within eight to 10 weeks.
Fresh chutney
Prep 30 min
Rest 48 hr
Cook 10 min
Makes 3 × 500ml jars
250g dried figs, or a mixture of figs and apricots, cut into 1.5cm pieces
250g pitted dried dates, cut into 1.5cm pieces
2–3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
25g yellow mustard seeds
250g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp fine sea salt
350ml cider vinegar
450g crisp eating apples, cored and cut into 1.5cm pieces (350g prepared weight)
150g celery, cut into 1.5cm slices
150g shallots, peeled and cut into 1.5cm slices
2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Put the figs and dates (and the apricots, if using), ginger, mustard seeds, sugar, salt and vinegar in a non-metallic bowl, mixing well to combine.
Add the apples, celery, shallots and garlic, and mix again. Cover and leave in a cool place for 48 hours or more, giving the mixture a quick stir every now and again until the dried fruits have plumped up and the liquid is absorbed.
Sterilise the jars and twist-on lids as described above. Spoon the chutney into the warm jars, filling to the brim and teasing out any air bubbles with the back of a spoon. Seal immediately.
You can eat this right away, but it really does get better if left for three to four weeks, or more, by which time the chutney will have a good texture and the flavour will be full and rounded.
Store in a cool, dark, dry place and open within a year. Once opened, store the chutney in the same place and use it within a year; there’s no need to put it in the fridge.
Sticky jalapeño jam
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr
Makes 3 x 200ml jars
400g cooking apples, peeled, cored and roughly cut into smallish pieces (300g)
2-3 fat green peppers (about 500g), deseeded and finely chopped
50-100g jalapeño chillies or similar, deseeded and finely chopped
50g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
100ml cider vinegar
250g jam sugar
100g demerara sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
Sterilise the jars and twist-on lids as described before.above Put the apples in a pan with 150ml water. Cover, put over a medium heat and cook until the apple has reduced to a soft pulp.
Add the peppers, jalapeños, ginger, garlic and vinegar, and simmer for five minutes. Sprinkle in the sugars, stir to dissolve, then add the coriander, cinnamon and salt.
Continue to cook the mixture over a medium heat for 30-35 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is gelatinous and the base of the pan clearly visible when you draw a spoon across it. Remove from the heat.
Spoon the jam into the sterilised jars, filling to the brim, and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark, dry place and use within a year. Once opened, keep in a cool place for up to four months.
