Review a DK Cooking Club recipe
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Fruit
Marmalades, jams, chutneys and purees to help you enjoy fruit in every season!
Apple marmalade
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Submitted by SJ Windridge-France
Makes: 10-12 jars
Prep/cooking time: 2 ½ hrs
Ingredients:
- 1.8kg Bramley apples – peeled and chopped
- 3.6kg sugar
- 2 pints water
- 2 lemons
- 2 limes
Method:
- Prepare the apples and put in a very large pan. Add the water, stir and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemons and the limes and put to one side. Remove the pips and slice the peel of the lemons and limes (to however thick you want the shreds) and add to the pan. Simmer gently, stirring intermittently, for 1-2 hours until the peel is soft.
- Once the peel is softened and the liquid reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce, add the lemon juice and stir in the sugar. Continue stirring the sugar until it is completely dissolved.
- Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Boil vigorously, stirring continuously to prevent burning, until setting point is reached. To test this, put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge and leave for approx 5 minutes to see if it is the correct consistency.
- Once it is done, ladle into jars - fill them to the top and cover with a preserving disc. Allow the jars to cool before sealing.
Apricot & cranberry chutney
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Submitted by Christine Bailey
Makes: 3 jars
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- 1 cooking apple
- 150g onions, roughly chopped
- 225g dried apricots
- 1cm piece of root ginger, grated
- 100g light brown sugar
- 175ml apple cider vinegar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 350g fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
Method:
- Peel and core the apple and roughly chop. Place in a food processor with the onion, apricots and ginger. Pulse lightly until finely chopped, then place in a large saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered gently for 20-30 minutes until thick and pulpy. Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Spoon into warm, sterilised jars, then seal and store in the fridge. It makes a wonderful festive tangy chutney full of fruity flavours with a hint of cider vinegar.
Apricot and walnut chutney
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Submitted by Pam Richardson
Makes: 10 jars
Prep/cooking time: 2 hrs
Ingredients:
- 700g dried apricots
- 350g shelled walnuts
- 375g onions
- 700g apples (peeled and cored)
- 250g sultanas
- 800g sugar
- 35g mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
- 600ml cider vinegar
Method:
- Chop the apricots and walnuts into quarters, then chop the onions and apples into 1cm pieces – place with all the other ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours. If chutney is still runny, turn up the heat to reduce the liquid.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before pouring into clean, dry, warm jars.
- Cover with a waxed disc and cap – if properly sealed and stored in a cool dark place, the chutney should keep for a year.
Gooseberry chutney
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Submitted by Mary Mayfield
Makes: 2 jars
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr 50 mins
Ingredients:
- 1.35kg green gooseberries – washed, chopped in half
- 850ml malt vinegar
- 1 tbsp each of black and white mustard seeds
- 225g onions, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, finely chopped
- 1 chunk stem ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 450g demerara sugar
- 225g granulated sugar
Method:
- Place 900g of gooseberries in a large preserving pan along with 570ml vinegar, the mustard seeds, onions, chilli, ginger and salt.
- Boil until the gooseberries have disintegrated.
- Add the remaining gooseberries, remaining vinegar and demerara sugar. Boil until the fruit is soft.
- Add the granulated sugar and boil until the chutney thickens.
- Put into clean, warmed jars.
Plum and rum jam
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Submitted by Gloria Wilding
Makes: 6 jars
Prep/cooking time: 50 mins
Ingredients:
- 2kg plums
- 2kg sugar with pectin
- 500ml water
- 6 tbsp dark rum
Method:
- Wash the plums, cut into halves and remove the stones. Place in a preserving pan or saucepan with the water and bring to the boil.
- Simmer for 30 minutes until the plums are softened, then add the sugar with pectin and heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
- Now, bring to the boil and when a rolling boil is achieved, boil for at least 4 minutes.
- Add the rum, then pot immediately into warmed jars.
Plum & squash chutney
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Submitted by Joanne Downes
Makes: 7 jars
Prep/cooking time: 3 hrs
Ingredients:
- 500g squash (chopped into small cubes)
- 500g plums (stoned and roughly chopped)
- 250g diced onion
- 500g apples (peeled and diced)
- 250g raisins or sultanas
- 250g light brown sugar
- 375ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar if you prefer
- 1 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 125ml water
- For the spice bag
- Couple of mace blades
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (heaped)
- 12 black peppercorns
- 12 cloves
- Fresh ginger (about 2cm – chopped, leave outer skin on)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Method:
- Tie the ingredients for the spice bag into a piece of muslin, submerge this in the middle of a preserving pan.
- Put all the other ingredients in the pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and then simmer for 2 to 3 hours stirring every 10 minutes until it's reduced down.
- Put into sterilised jars and mature for 2 weeks before trying – tastes even better if kept for longer.
Rhubarb & vanilla puree
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Submitted by Kay Wilkinson
Makes: 2 jars
Prep/cooking time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 400g rhubarb
- 100g brown sugar
- Vanilla pod
- A little water
Method:
- Chop the rhubarb into chunks and put the chunks into a pan. Heat at a medium gas mark.
- Add the sugar and a little water (not too much as rhubarb releases liquid).
- Add the vanilla pod and wait for it all to reduce down, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- When rhubarb is at puree consistency, take out vanilla pod and then put into jars.
Victoria plum jam
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Submitted by Michele Platman
Makes: 12 jars
Prep/cooking time: 1 hr
Ingredients:
- 2.2kg Victoria plums
- 284ml water
- Juice and grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2.9kg granulated sugar
- Half a bottle of commercial pectin
Method:
- Wash the plums (the fruit needs to be very fresh, it's best to make up the jam on the day you've purchased the plums – the next day at the very latest), cut in half and remove the stones.
- Put the fruit and water into a preserving pan, add the lemon juice and zest.
- Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft.
- Gradually add the sugar to the pan, stirring after each addition. Heat slowly until all the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
- Bring to a full rolling boil and boil rapidly for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When it reaches "jam" temperature (105°c), remove from the heat – don’t be tempted to boil jam for longer than indicated, otherwise you will lose the lovely pink colour!
- Stir in the commercial pectin until it is fully mixed, then pot and label immediately.
Vegetables
Pickles, chutneys and relishes so you can enjoy vegetables throughout the year.
Courgette chutney
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Submitted by Leah Finch
Ingredients:
- 1.8kg courgette
- 1kg onions
- 1.3kg brown sugar
- Large piece of fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 pints malt vinegar
- 2 heads of garlic
- 1.3kg tomatoes
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp salt
Method:
- Chop all the vegetables and put in a pan (if the courgettes have a tough skin, peel them). Add the vinegar, sugar and spices and slowly bring to the boil, stirring now and again.
- Simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally, until thick.
- Pour into heated jars and seal. Then leave for at least three months to mature.
Cucumber pickle
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Submitted by Mary Baldwin
Makes: 4 jars
Prep/cooking time: 2 ½ hrs
Ingredients:
- 2 large cucumbers
- 2 large onions (white)
- 1 large green pepper
- 25g salt
- 600ml cider vinegar
- 450g soft brown sugar
- 1/2 level tsp celery seeds
- 1/2 level tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 level tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 level tsp dill
Method:
- Dice cucumbers, peel and chop the onions finely, then finely slice the pepper. Mix these ingredients with the salt, cover and leave for a couple of hours.
- Rinse vegetables, drain and put in a large pan with the vinegar and bring to boil.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar. Leave to cool and then bottle.
Sweet pickled beetroot
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Submitted by Lauren Bryson
Makes: 3 jars
Prep/cooking time: 2 hrs 30 min
Ingredients:
- 1kg uncooked, unpeeled beetroot
- 1 litre white wine vinegar
- 220g sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 black peppercorns
- 1 tsp salt
Method:
- Put vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and salt in a pan and bring to the boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
- Add the beetroots, cover and simmer for a couple of hours, until the beetroot is tender.
- Allow contents of pan to cool, then remove beetroot, and peel then dice it. Fill jars with beetroot.
- Reheat the liquid until boiling, then pour it over the jarred beet and seal jars.
- Allow to mature for 1 month before using.
Tomato relish
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Submitted by Lucy Buckroyd
Makes: 4 jars
Prep/cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 2kg tomatoes (skin removed, chopped finely)
- 4 onions (chopped finely)
- 4 celery sticks (finely chopped)
- 1 ½ tbsp salt
- 450g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 450ml white vinegar
Method:
- Mix tomatoes and onions in a bowl with the salt, then leave overnight.
- Rinse the tomatoes and onions, and then put in a bowl with the sugar, mustard seeds and vinegar. Stir thoroughly.
- Put in jars and allow to mature for about 2 months before using.
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