Food & entertaining

Jam made simple:It's easier and quicker than you think

If you've never made jam, you probably have visions of giving your whole kitchen - and an entire day - over to the process. But follow our simple guide and you'll be creating pots of delicious jam in no time.

Armed with just a large saucepan and some jars, you can easily turn a few punnets of berries into pots of luscious jam. Making an occasional batch of jam is well worth the effort, especially now when fruit is plentiful. Each of the recipes on the following pages only makes a small amount, which means you won't end up with too much, and the process is very simple.
Saucepan sizes

There is no need to buy a special jam pan when using relatively small amounts. Just remember that the saucepan should be only half full when all the ingredients have been added, as you need to allow space for when the jam boils (it spits when it boils so a large pan stops your hands or cooker from being spattered too much).
Setting point

Remember that most homemade berry jams and jellies won't set as firmly as commercial types. To test if your jam is set, take your saucepan off the heat, then place a dollop of the hot jam onto a chilled saucer (place the saucer in the freezer for a couple of minutes before you start). Return the saucer and jam to the fridge for a minute, and if the jam has reached setting point, the dollop shouldn't be runny. Run your finger through it and if you can make a line - and it wrinkles a little - without the mixture running back together, it has reached setting point. If not, return the pan to the heat and continue to cook the mixture, testing it every 5 minutes, until it reaches setting point.
Resting time

To stop any fruit rising to the surface when you bottle the jam, let the saucepan sit for 20 minutes before you spoon it into jars. Seal and label the jars once the jam has cooled.
Jars

To sterilise the jars before filling them, either put them through the dishwasher or wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse with boiling water from the kettle and drain them on a clean tea towel.