Ingredients:
1½ lb/700g sloes, washed
1½ lb/700g of bramley cooking apples (ideal) or any other cooking apples. We use windfalls as they won’t keep.
Sugar (1pt/750ml of strained juice to 1½ lb/700g of white granulated sugar, if using cooking apples. 1pt/750ml of strained juice to 1lb/454g if using sweet eating apples).
Method:
Wash the apples, cut out bad bits and chop roughly. There is no need to peel or core the apples.
Place sloes and apples in a large deep heavy bottomed saucepan, or preserving pan.
Add water to cover ½ of the fruit. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer very gently until all the fruit is soft and squishy. (This can take anything from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how ripe the fruit is.)
Pour the cooked fruit through sterilised muslin (how do I sterilise muslin? See tips and tricks below). The muslin is often referred to as a “jelly bag”. We use tall buckets to catch the drips from the jelly bags. Rather than hang the bags (conventional method-between two stools) I find it easier to line a large plastic sieve with the muslin. This clips neatly onto the top of a clean bucket. The sieve is covered with a clean tea cloth to protect against flies.
Leave the jelly bag to drip overnight (or about 12 hours).
Measure the juice the next day.
Pour the juice into a deep heavy bottomed saucepan and add 1½ lb/700g of white granulated sugar for each 1pt/570ml of juice.
Heat the juice and sugar gently stirring from time to time, so as to make sure that that all the sugar has dissolved before bringing the liquid slowly to the boil.
Continue to boil for about 10 minutes before testing for a set. This is called a rolling boil. (What is testing for a set? See tips and tricks below).
Tossing in a nugget of butter towards the end will reduce the frothing that can occur.
When jelly has reached setting point pour into warm sterilised jars using a funnel and ladle. (How do I sterilise jars? See tips and tricks below).
Cover immediately with plastic lined screw top lids or waxed disks and cellophane tops secured with a rubber band.
Label when cold and store in a cool, dark place. Away from damp.
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October 04, 2016, 15:05