Homemade Strawberry Jam

method:

• Wash the jam jars and place upside down in the oven at 100C/225F/Gas 1/4 to dry thoroughly. Place a small plate in the fridge for testing the jam later.
• Hull the strawberries and add half to a preserving pan and crush them roughly with a potato masher; add the rest of the fruit, the sugar and the lemon juice. Stir all the ingredients together well off the heat.
• Place the pan on the element and stir over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. You’ll know it’s dissolved as you won’t be able to hear the sugar scraping on the pan.
• Add the butter, which will help disperse any foam which is a natural part of jam making. The butter helps minimise this, and disperses any foam back into the jam.
• Bring to a rapid, rolling boil for four minutes. Don’t be afraid of the rolling boil, this is crucial to producing a jam that will set.
• Spoon a little jam on to a chilled saucer, as soon as it is cool, run a finger through the jam so that the saucer is visible, if the finger line remains in the jam and the jam wrinkles it is ready, if not boil a little longer and try again.
• Ladle into the hot jars and fill until almost full to allow for shrinkage as the jam cools.