Homemade Strawberry Jam

Hello :) This year for Christmas, I decided to make Adrian some homemade strawberry jam. Like any hip guy, he recently bought himself a crepe pan so it only made sense I made him jam! And I'm all about practical, handmade (& usually edible) gifts. As I'd never made jam before,  I wanted it to be very simple and using only one kind of fruit. I also didn't want there to be to be too much sugar because  sickly sweet jams aren't nice!

Recipe: Strawberry Jam (adapted from Jamie Oliver)
Ingredients-
1kg strawberries
150g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod

Method- 

1. Wash & hull the strawberries 

2. Place in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top. Scrap the seeds of a vanilla pod into the mixture or add a teaspoon of vanilla extract 

3. Wash your hands and mash/scrunch the strawberries into a rough pulp. Really get into it and make sure the sugar is dissolved

4. Pour into a sauce pan and bring to the boil

5. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam during the cooking process

6. Let cool and put it in a sterilised jar. This recipe makes enough jam for approximately 2 jars. 

I used a jam label, from an issue of Frankie a few months ago & secured fabric on top with some kitchen string. The fabric is actually from the sleeve of a men's shirt! I used the majority of the shirt to make a cushion cover for him a while ago (here). 

We tested the jam out by of course, making some crepes! Luckily the jam tasted super delicious, if I do say so myself :) 

This is what the jam consistency looks like, when I made pikelets on Christmas morning. As you can see, the jam doesn't really gel as there isn't much sugar used or lemon juice (pectin). 

Have you made jam before? Next, I'm finally going to make the strawberry, nectarine & apple jam from Frankie!

Hannah x