Blackcurrant and rose geranium conserve

Makes 4 X 250ml jars Sauces and accompaniments

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Method

This is lovely served on scones smeared with lots of butter. Place the conserve into sterilised jars. Simply sit the jars in a sink and pour boiling water into them and leave for 15 minutes. Tip out the water and put them in a low oven to dry. Fill while the jars and the conserve are still quite hot.

Put the blackcurrants in a large pan with 250ml cold water, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until soft. Add the sugar, lemon juice and rose geranium leaves, if using. Continue to cook gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to a fast boil for about 15 minutes or until it shows signs of setting.

To test for a set, put a plate in the fridge and spoon a drop of mixture on to it. Chill for a few minutes then push the cold mixture with a finger. It should crinkle slightly instead of remaining in a puddle (it will firm up a little as it gets cold so don’t over-boil or you will end up with a very stiff mixture and a conserve is usually looser than a jam). Remove the geranium leaves if used and after 10 minutes ladle into warm jars, cover and label.