Beautiful blackberry jelly

Ripe blackberries are starting to appear in the hedgerows around us, so I went foraging last night. As they were quite small I decided to make a jelly rather than jam, and thought I’d share my recipe. Just multiply all the ingredients proportionally if you are lucky enough to have lots of berries.

1 kg berries
Juice of a lemon
100ml water
Granulated sugar

Wash the berries and place them in a pan with the lemon juice and water and bring to the boil.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep it simmering away for about 45 minutes until they are completely soft.

Pour the fruit and juice into a jelly bag or a piece of muslin suspended over a bowl. Leave the bag to drip overnight and don’t be tempted to touch it.

Discard the berries and measure the juice. Pour the juice into a saucepan and add an equal weight of sugar.

Put a small plate into the fridge.

Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring it to a rolling boil for 12-15 minutes.

Add a spoonful of the jelly onto the cold plate and pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes. Remove it and push the jelly with your finger. If it crinkles, then it is ready. If not, let it boil for another 5-10 minutes before testing again.

When the jelly is ready, pour it into hot, sterilised jars and seal.