grape jelly recipe

Home-grown grapes in this country tend to be small, not all of them ripen and they can be thick with pips. You can eat a few with cheese and make jelly with the rest. This is lovely on bread or toast and wonderful whisked into a sauce with meat or game.

you will need:

• Juicy grapes
• Granulated sugar (for exact quantity see below)
• Juice of ½ lemon

Take the grapes off the stalks and put them into a preserving pan. Put enough cold water into the pan just to cover them and bring them to the boil. Simmer the grapes over a moderate heat until they are tender. Pour through a jelly bag and allow to drip overnight into a china bowl. Don't be tempted to squeeze the bag.

Put the packets or bowl of sugar in a very cool oven to warm up for about half an hour. Measure and then warm the grape juice in the preserving pan and add 450g warmed sugar for every 570ml of juice. Add the lemon juice. Dissolve gently over a low heat and, when the sugar is completely dissolved, raise the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Boil until it reaches setting point.

Take off the heat, skim the surface to remove any scum and pour into warm sterilised jars and seal.

This recipe features on p.331 of Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook.