Soft-set strawberry & Pimm’s jam

Give your homemade jam a cheeky twist with a dash of Pimm’s No 1, then use it to make jam tarts

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:20 mins
    Plus cooling
  • Serves 5 x 450g jars
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 49
  • fat 0g
  • saturates 0g
  • carbs 13g
  • sugars 13g
  • fibre 0g
  • protein 0g
  • salt 0g

Ingredients

  • 1½ kg strawberries,hulled and halved if large
  • 1kg bag jam sugar (it has added pectin)
  • juice 2 lemons
  • juice 1 orange
  • 3 tbsp Pimm's No 1

Tip

Sterilising your jars
Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, then place on a baking tray in a low oven for 10 mins or until completely dry. If you use rubber seals, remove them and cover in just-boiled water.Our downloadable labels

Download our printable preserves labels – perfect for writing cook’s notes and gift messages. You can find them here.

Cream tea jam tarts
Roll out 375g ready-made shortcrust pastry to £1 thickness. Stamp out 8cm rounds with fluted cutter. Line bun tins. Fill each with 1 tsp jam. Bake at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 15-20 mins. Cool completely and top with cream.

Method

  1. Put a few saucers into the freezer for later. Put the strawberries into a preserving pan (or your very largest saucepan), then mash roughly with a potato masher, or crush slightly between your fingers and thumbs to make them a little juicy. Stir in the sugar, then put the pan over a very low heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are surrounded with red syrup. Don’t let it boil. Once the sugar crystals have gone, stir in the lemon and orange juice.

  2. Turn up the heat. Once the jam reaches a foaming fast boil (this will read 105C on a preserving thermometer), set a timer for 10 mins. After 10 mins, put 1 tsp of the jam onto one of the frozen saucers, put into the fridge for 1 min, then push your finger through the jam. If the jam wrinkles, it is ready. If not, boil for another 2 mins and test again. As soon as the jam is ready, remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 30 mins, skim away any scum, then stir in the Pimm’s. Ladle into sterilised jars. Will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

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