Why make jam?

There is something so satisfying about opening a food cupboard, pantry or larder to ! nd the shelves stacked with colourful jars of homemade preserves. These containers of summer and autumn "avours might be just what’s required to li# the mood on a dark, gloomy winter’s day, when a good dollop of jam on your bread reminds you of warmer, lighter days. For me, that is what making preserves is all about: capturing the essence of fruit or vegetables and sealing that "avour in a jar for another day.

Jam is a traditional part of homemaking that celebrates the seasons and somehow makes life cosier and more comforting. My preserves are handmade and full of chunky pieces, which sets them apart from anything shop-bought. The "avours of the fruits shine through and are rarely masked with spices.

In the current climate of concerns about being less wasteful, clocking up fewer food miles and eating seasonal food, making preserves has never been so popular.