Bramble Jelly

This is has been a firm family favourite since the year dot! Blackberries are available from British hedgerows for free from late summer to early autumn and its my favourite jam - great on toast, croissants and scones or even stirred into yoghurt.

Blackberrying is a lovely Sunday afternoon pastime and great fun to do with the children. Try and find a local hedgerow that isn't too close to any main roads and get picking. My autumn wouldn't be complete without my dad moaning his way through a blackberrying trip and then every time we eat jam or they turn up in a crumble he claims that they were definitely the ones he picked!

Ingredients

4lb Blackberries

Juice of 2 small lemons

0.75 pint of water.

Sugar (quantity according to method.)

Method

Wash the fruit and place it in a preserving pan with the lemon juice and water. Simmer until tender, mash well and strain through a jelly bag. Measure the juice and allow 1lb of sugar to each pint of juice. Heat the juice and add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Now boil rapidly until setting point is reached. Pour into labelled jam jars while still warm/hot and leave lidless to cool. When cold cover with a circle of greaseproof paper, put on the lid and store in a cool cupboard.