Chilli Plum Jam

Chilli Plum Jam - makes approx 4 jars

2 garlic cloves

450g red onions

3 whole red chillies

850g Plums (de-stoned weight)

350g dark soft brown sugar

100g Balsamic vinegar

300ml Red wine

• Roughly chop the garlic, onions & chillies
• Add to a blender & blend until finely chopped
• Add to a large pan along with the plums, sugar, vinegar & red wine
• Bring to the boil and simmer for approx 1 hour, until thick and only a small amount of the liquid remains
• Pour into sterilised jars

I used some of the jam to make a delicious & quick lunch :

• Take 1 square wrap & cover with grated cheese
• Microwave until the cheese has melted
• Spread generously with chilli plum jam
• Add a large handful of rocket
• Roll up & enjoy!

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

Since the husband was diagnosed as a diabetic at the end of last year I've made him a few sugar free treats. I've recently discovered a great sugar substitute, Totally Sweet, which never had an after taste when I used it to make Raspberry muffins so I thought I'd give it a go in jam, so the husband would have something to put on his sugar free rice pudding, when I eventually get around to making some.

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

200g Strawberries
200g Total Sweet (sugar alternative)

• Heat the strawberries & Total Sweet in a large pan until the Total Sweet has dissolved
• Turn up the heat & boil for around 30 minutes until the jam has reduced down & reached setting point*
• Pour into a sterilised jar and keep in the fridge until needed

* you can check that the jam has reached setting point by placing a plate in the freezer for approx 10 minutes and the spooning a small amount of the jam onto the plate. After a few seconds if the jam is still liquid then it needs boiling for longer - if it's a thick & sticky jam consistency then it's ready.

I was sent some Total Sweet to use in my baking and recipes

Gooseberry Jam

One of my friend's has an allotment and they had an excess of gooseberries and asked if I would like some. I had big ideas of making jams, cakes and fools but in the end only found the time to make jam. When I was younger I remember being given the tedious task of topping and tailing my Great Gran's gooseberries with a pair of nail scissors but unfortunately I had no children around to pass this onto this time so I had to endure it myself. Apart from that, the jam making process was very easy. It's just a case of weighing your gooseberries and using the same weight of granulated sugar. I had just under 1kg and this produced 3 jars of jam.


You just need to bring the gooseberries to the boil with a couple of tablespoons of water and when they've softened add the sugar and simmer until thick. At this point I thought I'd added too much water as it looked very liquid but as it bubbled away it got thicker and thicker. The best way to check to see if it's ready, if you don't have a jam thermometer, is to place a plate into the freezer for a minute or so and then spoon some of the jam onto it. It cools very quickly on the plate and you can tell if it's the right consistency, if not keep simmering.


I was quite surprised that the end result was this colour, I half expected it to be green even though I know gooseberry yoghurts aren't.