How to make blackberry jelly

The hedgerows are dripping with ripe, juicy blackberries and it's one of my favourite fruits to forage.  The saying goes that the devil pees on them after 11th October, so my advice would be to get them while you can!

Usually I make pots and pots of jam to see us through the winter, and a few bottles of cordial, but I don't know why I've never thought of making jelly before now.  My daughter loves jelly, and if you use silicone cake cases, they are great in lunchboxes.  Of course, the advantage of making your own is that you know exactly what's gone into it and can adjust the sugar levels according to taste. I've used pork gelatine here, but if you can't eat that then get a vegetarian substitute. It's really easy to make, so why not have a go?

Ingredients:

(these will vary according to how much fruit you've been able to pick, so just adjust using this ratio)

These quanities made 2 large servings.

• 300g fresh, ripe blackberries
• 100g sugar (my berries were very sharp, but you may want to use less than this)
• 3 leaves of gelatine (or according to packet instructions)

Wash your berries and remove any stalks.  Place in a pan with a splash of water, and add the sugar.

Heat over a medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Cook for around 10 minutes, until the fruit has gone mushy and released it's juices.

Strain through a muslin or clean tea towel and sieve into a measuring jug and measure the amount of liquid you have.  Mine was exactly 1/2 pint.  Your pack instructions will tell you how much gelatin to use.

For a nice, firm but wobbly jelly, I used 3 leaves of gelatine.  Soak these in some cold water for about 5 minutes.  Return your fruit liquid to a clean pan and bring to a simmer.

Add the gelatin to the juice (squeeze out the excess liquid from the jelly and discard the water), stirring until it dissolves.  Leave to simmer for 2 minutes, then pour into glasses or moulds.

When the jelly has cooled to room temperature, pop in the fridge to chill and set.

Have you been blackberrying this year?  What do you make with yours?