Strawberry Jam

We're getting towards the end of summer now and the strawberry glut needs sorting out. What better way to use up all the stragglers than to make up a glorious batch of late summer jam? For some reason I had it in my mind that Jam making was a difficult thing to do, an activity only carried out successfully by life long WI members but thanks to this great recipe I think anyone can do it.

With only 4 ingredients it's dead simple, 350g strawberries, 450g of jam sugar, a squeeze of lemon and crucially a drop of Balsamic Vinegar as this enhances the flavour of the strawberries. I also like to add half a vanilla pod. The method is really simple, put a spoon in the freezer and then stick all the ingredients in a heavy based pan. Stir them all together and then turn on the heat - keep the heat low, stirring occasionally and bring to the boil. After about 5 minutes test the mixture with the spoon from the freezer, if the setting point has been reached the mixture will become firm and sticky. Leave to cool for a bit - 15-20 minutes, extract the vanilla pod and then decant into clean dry jars.

Lovely with fresh butter and crusty bread or on a scone.