three-day raspberry jam recipe

The flavour of this raspberry jam is as intense as it gets, and the steeping in sugar for three days keeps some of the fruit whole, or almost; the sugar 'sets' each individual berry.

This recipe is inspired by Thane Prince’s book Jams and Chutneys – Preserving the Harvest, originally for strawberry jam.

Makes a little less than 2kg

• 1½ kg raspberries
• 1½ kg white granulated sugar
• Freshly squeezed juice of 4 lemons

Method

In a large china or glass bowl, layer the raspberries with sugar, then sprinkle with the juice. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

Scrape the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan and bring slowly to the boil – without stirring. Allow the mixture to bubble over a low heat for five minutes.

Remove from the heat, cover and allow to stand for another 48 hours in the fridge.

Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture back to the boil. Skim thoroughly, then boil until a setting point is reached. The jam will always be quite soft, so boil it gently until it seems to have the right consistency.