Ingredients

Step by step

1. Put all the chopped fruit in a preserving pan and add just 150ml water; it won’t look like much, but the cooking apples will soon start to break down. Bash the ginger with a rolling pin, place it in a small square of clean muslin, then bring up the corners and tie it with string before adding it to the pan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer briskly for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender and the mixture has reduced by about half.
2. Add the sugar to the pan, stirring over a medium heat until it has fully dissolved – test to make sure that you can’t feel any grains. Add the lemon zest and juice, then bring to the boil and cook rapidly, stirring frequently to ensure the jam does not burn on the base of the pan, until it reaches setting point – do your first test after 15 minutes (see tips at the bottom of this recipe). Remove any froth and the ginger. 
3. Pour the hot jam into warm sterilised jars (see tip below), filling them right to the top. Seal with sterilised twist lids, or wax paper circles and cellophane covers. Label when cool.
   
   Sterilising and sealing:
   Wash jars and bottles with very hot soapy water, then rinse and place in a warm oven (160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3) for 10 minutes. Always fill jars to the brim, then cover either with sterilised twist lids, or with waxed discs and cellophane covers. Label when cold. Store in a cool dark place (or as directed in the recipe).
   Tip

   Setting point:
   The easiest way to check when a marmalade or jam has reached setting point is with a sugar thermometer – it will reach the jam setting stage at 104°C (220°F). However, this does not always mean that it will set; sometimes the liquid content is still too high and the jam or marmalade will be runny, so it’s a good idea to use the old-fashioned, but reliable, cold plate test.
   
   Simply place a couple of plates or saucers in the fridge while you dissolve the sugar. Most marmalades and jams come to setting point very quickly, within a couple of minutes of rapid boiling. Pour a teaspoon of marmalade onto the cold plate and return it to the fridge for a couple of minutes. If it wrinkles when you push your finger through it, it has reached setting point.
   
   It is advisable to turn off the heat while testing or you may over boil your preserve and spoil the flavour. If for some reason your marmalade or jam hasn’t set after you’ve potted it, return it to the pan with the juice of a large lemon and boil again.