Blackcurrant and Sloe Gin Jam

Method

1. Before you start put the saucers in the deep freeze to chill and sterilise your jars. Do this by washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing in clean water and then allowing to dry in an oven heated to 150ºc/130ºCfan for about 15 minutes.
2. Put the fruit and water into your pan and gently simmer until tender, this will take about 10 minutes. While you do this warm your sugar in a bowl in the oven with the jars.
3. When the berries are tender, add the sugar and stir gently. Then over a very low heat allow the sugar to dissolve completely. This will take about 15 minutes. You can check that the sugar has dissolved by looking at the mixture on the back of a spoon. If you can still see grains, heat for a few minutes more. When the sugar has dissolved increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. If you have a sugar thermometer, clip it to the pan now. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes or until it reaches 105ºc stirring occasionally to stop it catching. Remove the jam pan from the heat.
5. To test for a set, take one of your plates from the freezer and carefully remove a teaspoon of jam and pour it onto the plate. Leave for a few seconds and then push with your fingertip. If it wrinkles, the jam will set, if it doesn’t, return the jam to the heat and bring to the boil again for a few minutes more and check again.
6. When you have a set, remove the jam from the heat and skim off any scum. Stir in the Sloe Gin.
7. Decant into your warm jars, top with a wax circle and seal with the lid while still hot. This jam will keep unopened for up to one year and once opened up to one month in the fridge.