Strawberry Jam

The house has been smelling like a jam factory this last week or so, not that I'm complaining, it's been delightful; rhubarb and raspberry was first, then strawberry, then a batch of the clementine marmalade I made at the end of last year. I remember saying we don't eat much marmalade....we do now!

The strawberry jam was so good, I went back to the market this week, stocked up on more fruit and sugar and made another batch! I'm squirrelling it away in the pantry, it'll be so lovely to have a taste of summer in the cold dark days of winter. Plan ahead, that's what I say!

Having never made strawberry jam before, and having read many times that it's sometimes difficult to get a 'set', I thought it best to follow this Good Food recipe rather than winging it as I usually do.

It worked out perfectly and has had rave reviews from family members. I will definitely make it again, although I think I could be making a rod for my own back because homemade jam is soooo much better than the commercially made stuff. Obviously jam has to be boiled, but why on Earth do commercial makers boil the guts out of it so that all you get is a generic taste of 'jam' rather than the taste of the fruit itself? Beats me.