Green gooseberry and bay leaf jam

Gooseberry season starts with the firm, tart, green cooking variety, which I love to use for making a jam as the sharpness of the fruit counteracts the sugars, producing a not-so-sweet jam. Try to be aware of the sweetness of fruit when making jam and adjust your sugar levels accordingly: taste the fruit beforehand. Traditionally, the sign of elderflowers coming into bloom coincides with the appearance of green gooseberries and they do work together beautifully, but I think the warmth of bay leaves pairs equally well.

MAKES SIX 220g JARS

1.25kg of green gooseberries

5 fresh bay leaves, torn 100ml of water

800g of caster sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 Wash the gooseberries gently in cold water and top and tail them with a pair of scissors.

2 Put the fruit, whole, in a preserving pan and add the bay leaves and water. Set over a medium heat and cook the berries until they start to break down and the bay leaves start to release some of their flavours.

3 Add the sugar and lemon juice and boil until setting point is reached – 105ºc/220ºf on a sugar thermometer. Gooseberries are high in pectin so this jam should produce a thickset jam.

Once cooked, remove from the heat, pour straight into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately. Store in a cool, dark place.

Note: Later season gooseberries, more commonly known as dessert gooseberries, are often red, yellow or golden and are much sweeter than the early green ones. The Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Society in North Yorkshire holds a show each year on the first Tuesday in August, where gooseberries compete for a place in the world records. Currently the largest on record weighs an impressive 62g.