This is the time of year I get a little carried away preserving my fruit and veg.

This spiced apple jelly is a perfect condiment with pork and sausages etc as well as being rather tasty with bread and butter in a sandwich.

You will need:

You can use more or less then the listed amounts, you just need to stick to the ratios:

• 1kg Cooking Apples
• 1l Water
• 1 Lemon – thinly sliced
• 1cm of fresh Ginger thinly sliced and chopped
• 1 Short Cinnamon Stick
• Granulated Sugar

Method:

• Chop up the apples (no need to peel or core as you will be straining all the bits out).
• Put all the ingredients (except the sugar)  into a heavy based pan along with the water and bring to the boil.
• Simmer gently for 1 hour and mash the apples with a potato masher to release more juice from the fruit.
• As soon as the fruit is really pulpy, juicy and mashed, pour though a jelly bag and allow to strain over night, reserving the juice in a bowl or jug.

Tip: If you do not have a jelly bag, pour though a colander over a bowl to remove the big bits, then pour though a sieve over a bowl and allow this to drip over night.

Tip: While the fruit is dripping do stir it and squeeze the fruit from time to time to encourage all the juice out.

• Measure the juice.
• The quantity of sugar needed depends on the amount of juice collected.

1 ¼ pint of Juice: 1lb Granulated Sugar

600ml Juice: 450g Granulated Sugar

• Add the sugar to the juice and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil and simmer until the jelly has reached setting point. (see below)
• Pour into sterilized jars, put lids on and label with the ‘Spiced Apple Jelly’ and the date you made it.

Tip: You can tell when your jelly/jam has reached setting point by dripping a small amount onto a saucer and popping into the fridge for a couple of minutes, when the jelly is set it will wrinkle when pushed with your finger tip.

Tip: Sterilizing the jars is really easy, just wash them up in hot soapy water, dry them, then bake in an oven at 100degrees for 15-20mins. Pour the hot syrup into the jars while the jars are hot and fresh out the oven.

Tip: Sterilizing lids is super easy too, after washing up (and a couple of minutes before you require them), I pour freshly boiled water into the lids. Empty the boiled water as you place them on the filled jars.