Spiced pickled plums

Name: Spiced pickled plums
Cook time: 30 min

Diana Henry's pickled plum recipe is an ideal way to preserve plentiful plums in early autumn. Enjoy them throughout winter with cooked ham, roast pork or pate.

Published - 4 Nov 2025

Cooking Time

30 mins

Ingredients

Makes around 3 jars

1.5kg (3lbs 5oz) plums
450ml (15fl oz) cider vinegar
650g (1lb 7oz) sugar
1tsp whole allspice
6 cloves
5cm (2in) piece of ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick

Method

Halve and stone the plums.
In a pan, bring the cider vinegar, sugar, allspice, cloves, ginger and cinnamon to the boil.
Once boiled, simmer for 5 minutes and then add the stoned plums.
Cook the plums until just tender, using a skewer to test.
Strain the plums into hot sterilised jars, leaving the syrup in the pan.
Boil the syrup for 5 minutes, then pour over the fruit in the jar and seal it.
Leave the jar for a month before eating.
These pickled plums are gorgeous with cooked ham, roast pork or pate