Village Fete Jam Trio: Strawberry Jam, Plum Jam & Seville Orange Marmalade

Instructions

1. 1

   Sterilise your jam jars and lids. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan/160°C conventional, place clean jars (no lids) on a baking tray and heat for 15 minutes. Keep lids in a pan of simmering water until needed.

2. 2

   Prepare the strawberries: hull and halve larger fruit so pieces are similar size.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, mix the strawberries with 400 g of the granulated sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Cover and leave to macerate for 1 hour so the juices develop.

4. 4

   Tip the macerated strawberries (and any collected juices) into a heavy-based saucepan, add the unsalted butter and bring to a vigorous rolling boil. Boil until the jam reaches setting point 104°C on a preserving thermometer or thickens when tested on a cold plate — about 20 minutes. Skim foam if necessary.

5. 5

   Ladle the hot strawberry jam into the hot sterilised jars, leaving 0.5 cm headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids and turn jars upside down for 5 minutes to seal, then return upright to cool.

6. 6

   Prepare the plums: halve and stone them. If skins are tough, score them so they break down more easily.

7. 7

   Place the plums in a bowl with 350 g of granulated sugar, the juice of the remaining half lemon and the ground cinnamon. Leave to sit for 30 minutes so the sugar draws out juice.

8. 8

   Cook the plums in a heavy-based saucepan to a rolling boil, add the unsalted butter and boil until the mixture reaches 104°C or sets on a cold-plate test — about 25 minutes. Mash a few pieces for texture if you prefer.

9. 9

   Jar the plum jam as you did the strawberry: hot jars, hot jam, 0.5 cm headspace, wipe rims and seal.

10. 10

    For the marmalade, thinly slice the Seville orange peel (pith included) and segment the fruit, discarding seeds. Put peel and segments into a large saucepan with the 600 ml water. Cover and leave to soak overnight (about 8 hours) to soften the peel and mellow bitterness.

11. 11

    Next day, simmer the soaked oranges and water gently until the peel is soft, about 30 minutes. Add 800 g granulated sugar, stir until dissolved, then boil rapidly until setting point 104°C or until it reaches a syrupy thickness — around 40–50 minutes. Add a knob of unsalted butter near the end to reduce foam and a pinch of salt.

12. 12

    Ladle the marmalade into sterilised jars as before. Leave to cool upright; lids should pop to indicate a seal.

13. 13

    Once all jars are cool, check seals, label with date and flavour, and store in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal.

Tips

• Use a preserving thermometer for reliable results; the jams set at about 104°C. The cold-plate test is a useful backup if you don’t have one.
• Sterilise jars in a hot oven and keep lids hot in simmering water — this reduces the risk of spoilage and helps jars seal.
• Avoid overcooking: jams continue to thicken as they cool. If you overset slightly, stir in a tablespoon or two of hot water and reheat briefly.
• Prepare the marmalade a day ahead (soak overnight) — the extra waiting makes the peel tender and the flavour better.
• If selling at a fete, include simple labels with ingredients and a sell-by date (use within 12 months unopened).

Substitutions

• granulated sugar → jam sugar (1:1 by weight) — speeds setting and gives a clearer jelly

  Stays close

• Seville oranges → ordinary cooking oranges or a mix of sweet orange and a lemon for acidity (use more lemon juice)

  Noticeably different

• unsalted butter → a teaspoon of vegetable oil to reduce foaming

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

55

Calories

0 g

Protein

14 g

Carbs

0 g

Fat

1 g

Fibre

13 g

Sugar

5 mg

Sodium

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