Apple and damson jelly
Recipe supplied by Christopher and Joanna Wickens
Ingredients
6lb cooking apples or crab apples
1lb granulated sugar to 1 pint of juice
Lemon rind
1 pint damson purée
Method
Wash apples cut into pieces removing any bruised parts. Crab apples may be left whole. Put into pan with 3 pints of water. Simmer gently until soft stirring and crushing the fruit occasionally. Strain through a muslin cloth then measure the extracted juice and add the sugar.
Stir over the heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add strips of lemon rind then boil rapidly until nearly at setting point. Add the damson purée and continue boiling until set. Remove therind and bottle.
The jelly can be used after about a month and is delicious served with char-grilled meat particularly Cotswold Lamb say the Wickens.