Hugh's Raspberry Fridge Jam

Even more on the subject of jam... I thought it would be good to include this recipe of Hugh's Raspberry Fridge Jam as I've tasted it and it's absolutely delicious. My only excuse for not following this recipe when I made mine was that my local supermarket doesn't stock Preserving Sugar, which has added pectin meaning you can get away with less sugar. It's worth it if you can get it, as you get a real taste of the fruit - it's very fresh and tangy. It's also worth noting that this jam will be loser than a normal one, and not be as set.

Makes about 2kg (around 5-6 jars)

1.5kg fresh raspberries
750g preserving sugar with added pectin

Pick over the raspberries carefully, discarding any leaves and stalks. Put half the fruit in a large bowl and roughly crush the berries, then transfer them to a preserving pan or large, heavy stainless steel pan. Add the remaining fruit and the sugar.

Stir the mixture over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, then bring up to the boil and boil hard for exactly five minutes. Remove from heat, leave to cool a little (this stops the pips rushing to the top of the jar when poured) and pot and seal immediately.

If you want a firmer, more traditional set, boil the jam for 7 minutes and the test for setting point.

Because this jam contains a relatively low proportion of sugar, it will not keep as long as a traditional jam. Once opened refrigerate and use within a few days.

The raspberry jam factory

As previously mentioned I visited The River Cottage recently for the full WI experience (that's Women's Institute). Following that I literally had a jam-making dream for at least 5 nights after - so decided to make some of my very own Raspberry Jam!



To make jam you need to first slowly melt the sugar, being careful not to burn it (as no liquid is added to the fruit and sugar), then quickly get a 'rolling boil' for about 5 minutes (this may vary, depending on what you are actually making). Generally I'm quite pleased with the result, although next time I think would be more careful to get a set with a lower sugar content, as it's a tad on the sweet side. Still all in all, I'd say I felt pretty pleased with myself when I'd finished!

Here's the recipe I used:

Traditional Raspberry Jam
Makes about 2.2kg (5 lb)

1.3kg (3lb) raspberries, washed and drained (it's really important that the fruit is dry!)
1.3kg (3lb) granulated sugar (again, I'd use less next time, and go for Golden Granulated, caster us too fine and is more prone to burning)

Cover the raspberries with sugar and leave over night in a Jam pan (Maslin pan) overnight if possible. This seems to really draw out the juices of the fruit, and is preferable to chucking all in right before putting on the stove.

Put a saucer or two in the freezer - these will be needed later on to test the set.

Cook over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the sugar, but making sure that all is dissolved. No liquid needs to be added, it should just be fruit juice. A tip worth baring in mind here is that it's recommended you try to stir in the same direction, to try and reduce the amount of scum you get.

Once all sugar is dissolved, turn the heat up, stirring all the while to bring the jam up to a full rolling boil. A really big pan is needed, at least twice the size of your volume of ingredients, to ensure that you can get a full rolling boil without worrying about it boiling over. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes and test for a set. This can either be done by placing a teaspoon on one of the saucers from the freezer. Put in the fridge for five minutes. Once it's cooled the surface of the jam should wrinkle when touched, if this is the case it has reached setting point. Another way is to use a thermometer - once the jam has reached 105 degrees C it has generally reached setting point.

Allow the jam to cool for a minute or so - this will prevent the seeds from rising to the top of the jar as it cools down. Pour into sterilised jars and then seal immediately.

For a cheaper version of this you could try substituting half the raspberries with rhubarb or peaches.