A star rating of 5 out of 5. Make a pot of our stunning, seasonal blackcurrant jam and make the most of these beautiful berries. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, put a saucer in the freezer. Sterilise the jars you black currant to use.
Tip the blackcurrants into a heavy-based saucepan with about 100ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins until the fruit has broken down to a chunky pulp. For a smooth jelly-style jam, squash the fruit through a sieve into a bowl. If you prefer your jam chunky and seeded, leave the pulp as it is. Whether it’s strained or unstrained, weigh the fruit pulp and then add 400g of sugar to every 500g of pulp, then tip back in the saucepan. Pour in the lemon juice then heat gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar.
If you don’t own a thermometer, test for setting point by spooning a little jam onto the cold saucer. If not, return to the boil for 2 mins, then re-test. Take off the heat and skim off any froth with a slotted spoon. Stir gently to distribute the fruit, then ladle into sterilised jars. Keeps for 6 months in a cool dry cupboard.
Add 2 tbsp of elderflower cordial to the fruit pulp and sugar. Add 1 tbsp of cassis to the finished jam before bottling. Spiced blackcurrant jam: Infuse a cinnamon stick and star anise in with the boiling jam. This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution.