Cook’s Notes
Glut Instinct
If your garden (or greengrocer) is good enough to offer you a plentiful supply
of fruit and veg over the summer, preserve the tastes of the season with help
from local producer and expert Jennifer Williams
S
ummer is the season when a hard year of growing really delivers the goods with plentiful
supplies of some of our favourite fruit and veg. However, there’s a thin line between a
bounty and a glut and it’s not long before you have more than you can eat or even give to
friends. After all that hard work, condemning your hand grown produce to the compost heap is
nothing short of criminal. Instead, with a little knowledge and the right kit, you can make jams
and chutneys that preserve the tastes of summer. Before long, a glut becomes a challenge, to
make the most of what your garden gives you so you can enjoy it throughout the year. Nothing
beats homemade strawberry jam on your toast in the dark depths of January.
In order to meet that challenge, we spoke to an award-winning preserver, Jennifer Williams of
Naked Jam. She comes from a long line of conserve producers dating back to the 1800s and brings
a wealth of recipes, ideas and tips that have been handed down through the generations, as well
as her own innovative ideas.
Her artisan jam company regularly picks up Great Taste plaudits in some of the most fiercely
contested categories. She’s an enthusiastic forager of ingredients for her conserves and has been
known to fall out of a tree when searching for wild seasonal bounty. As well as collaborating
with Chewton Glen head chef Luke Matthews, among other top chefs, she also teaches courses on
foraging and preserving at the luxury hotel’s cookery school, The Kitchen.
Jennifer’s
Tips
Remember if your making any soft fruit jam its
best to use a smaller amount of fruit as this will
ensure a good set.
About Naked Jam
Founded by Jennifer Williams, this
Hampshire-based, award-winning
artisan producer makes jams and
conserves of the highest quality. For
more info go to naked-jam.co.uk.
Let’s start with the equipment you need
One large maslin pan or a very large saucepan, the largest you
have, with a good depth.
Clean sterilised jars (to sterilise the jars you can either place
in a dishwasher or wash them out by hand and pop them in
an oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1. If using Kilner jars, boil the
rubber seals, as dry heat damages them.
A large long-handled wooden spoon. For stirring and the long
handle to stop you getting splashed once you hit a rolling boil.
Lids for the said jars. If you’re using second-hand lids wash
them and add a wax seal between the lid and the jar of jam.
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