Raspberry and Apple Alliance

With their delicately coloured pink juice and finely balanced, sweetly acidic flavour, raspberries are perfect for making jam. Adding apples highlights the colour and provides pectin (see page 229) to yield a fine, glossy-pink, thick jam.

Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes | Calories per 100g/3½oz: 218

Makes about 2kg/4lb 8oz

700g/1lb 9oz raspberries, rinsed

300g/10½oz cooking/baking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

1kg/2lb 4oz/5 cups light cane sugar

Put the raspberries in a heavy saucepan and top with the apples, lemon juice and sugar. Cover and leave to soften for 30 minutes, then bring to the boil slowly. Reduce the heat to cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and pour into warm, sterilized jars (see below). Seal immediately and store in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.

Tip: Sterilize clean jars (along with their lids) in the oven at 130°C/250°F/Gas 1 for 20 minutes, making sure they are not touching. Carefully fill the jars with the hot preserve and seal while they are still hot. Do not fill hot jars with cold preserves or cold jars with hot preserves, or the jar may crack.

NUTRITION PROFILE (per portion)

2% protein, 0% fat, 96% carbohydrate, 2% fibre

VITAMINS AND MINERALS (percentage of RDA)

Vitamin C 17%

HEALTH BENEFITS

Antioxidant | helps the body fight inflammations and infections