Steve Smith's hedgerow jam

Ingredients

• 2kg wild fruits such as sloes, bilberries, blackberries, elderberries, rosehips
• 2 cooking apples
• Water to cover
• Sugar equal to the weight of fruit once cooked and strained

Method

This autumn jam is a great preserve to make for foragers or anyone with a bountiful supply of autumn fruit, especially if you have a little of everything and want to mix any hedgerow fruit such as sloes, elderberries, blackberries and bilberries. If you've got plenty of sloes to use up why not try also making your own sloe gin?

Remove any stalks and dry leaves from the fruits.

Cut the apples into quarters.

Put all the fruit into a stainless steel pan and cover with water. Simmer until soft for about 30 minutes.

Unlike other jams and preserves this needs to be sieved to remove seeds and pips. Force through a sieve and weigh the pulp.

Transfer to a clean saucepan and add an equal weight of sugar.

Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve sugar and cook over a high heat until jam reaches setting point (105°c).

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

Then ladle into, warm sterilised jars to within ¼ of the rim.

Wipe off any sticky drops with a hot damp cloth.

Place a wax paper disc onto the jam surface to seal.

Cover the mouth of the jar with cellophane, fastened with an elastic band.

Serve on sliced bread or freshly baked scones.

For more jams, jellies and preserves, including blackberry and red wine jam and elderberry jelly, visit our preserves recipe section.

Recipe courtesy of Steve Smith, former Head Chef of Michelin-starred Bohemia Bar & Restaurant, Green Street, St. Helier, Jersey JE2 4UH, Channel Islands. For reservations please call: 01534 880 588 or visit www.bohemiajersey.com