SIMPLE BRAMBLE BLACKBERRY JAM

After reliving a childhood pastime and foraging for wild blackberries last week, I promised F we would spend a rainy day making jam like my nanna used to. Being a total jam novice, I quickly scoured the internet for some easy recipes that we could get stuck into and found a world of jam enthusiasts out there with flavours to match. So after spending a good twenty minutes reading whether added Pectin is good or bad I decided to take a simple recipe and wing it – as always.

For delicious simple bramble blackberry jam, you'll need:

900g fresh blackberries
900g white granulated sugar
50ml water
juice of half a lemon

1. Rinse the blackberries in cool water and remove any stalks that might be left over.
2. Place in a bowl and leave in the fridge to macerate over night.
3. Place the berries, lemon juice and water into a large heavy based pan and bring to the boil.
4. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until softened.
5. Crush the remaining blackberries with a potato masher and add in the sugar.
6. Slowly heat, stirring at all times until the sugar has dissolved.
7. Bring to a full rolling boil so the surface bubbles and it thickens. Boil for 8 minutes.
8. Remove any residue bubbles off the surface and get ready to transfer into your jam jars.
9. I used my dishwasher on an intensive wash to sterilise my jars and timed it with cooking, however you could submerge your jars in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes.
10. Ensure the jars are hot when pouring in the jam, wipe the edges and seal.
11. Store in a cool dry place.

Nothing like hot buttery toast and jam to keep away those winter blues.