Strawberry syrup

Makes 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups)

385 g (13¾ oz/1¾ cups) caster (superfine) sugar

350 g (12 oz/2¹/₃ cups) ripe, aromatic strawberries, hulled, wiped over with a damp cloth, then chopped

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Put the sugar in a small saucepan with 185 ml (6 fl oz/ ¾ cup) water. Using a metal spoon, stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring to the boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.

Add the strawberries and increase the heat until the mixture just comes to the boil, then reduce the heat back to a simmer. Using a hand-held stick blender, purée until smooth, then cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream of tartar until dissolved.

Pour through a fine strainer, placed over a sterilised funnel, into a sterilised 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cup) glass bottle or jar. Stir the contents to ensure all the liquid gets through the pulp, but don’t push down on the fruit too much. Seal tightly and carefully invert the jar, then leave to cool to room temperature.

The syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months; discard if any mould appears, or if the aroma or flavour suddenly changes.

Raspberry syrup

Simply replace the strawberries with the same amount of raspberries. There’s no need to wipe them over, but do pick through to make sure all the fruit is fine. You may like to add a little extra sugar if your raspberries are tart.