Bramble Jelly

the clear, dark, seedless preserve of the British hedgerow: wild blackberries boiled with a little apple and lemon, strained through a jelly bag overnight, and set to a glowing crimson-black

Origin: Scotland

From the journey of Blackberry.

Bramble jelly is the classic way to keep the wild blackberry through the year, and it belongs to the whole of Britain but above all to Scotland, where 'bramble' is the ordinary word for the fruit and bramble jelly the ordinary preserve of the autumn kitchen. Unlike jam, a jelly carries none of the fruit's seeds or skins: the boiled fruit is strained through a jelly bag so that only the clear, richly coloured juice is set with sugar, giving a preserve of a glowing, translucent crimson-black that catches the light on the breakfast table. The blackberry alone is a little low in the pectin and acid needed for a firm set, and so, in the settled wisdom of the hedgerow cook, a proportion of tart apple, a windfall cooking apple or a few hard crab apples, is boiled with it, along with the juice of a lemon, to guarantee the jelly will set clear and firm. It is a preserve of thrift and of place, made from fruit that costs nothing but a scratched arm and an afternoon in the lanes, and it is eaten on buttered toast and scones, folded into sponge cakes, and spooned alongside roast game and lamb.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg blackberries
  • 250 g tart cooking apples or crab apples, roughly chopped (cores and skins left on)
  • 1 whole lemon, juiced
  • 600 ml water
  • 900 g granulated sugar, approximately (use 450 g per 600 ml of strained juice; see method)

Method

  1. Put the blackberries, chopped apples, lemon juice, and water in a large preserving pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, mashing the fruit occasionally with a potato masher, for about 40 minutes, until the blackberries are entirely soft and pulpy and the apple has collapsed.
  2. Scald a jelly bag or a large square of muslin set in a sieve, suspend it over a large bowl, and pour in the cooked fruit. Leave it to strain undisturbed overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
  3. Measure the strained juice into the cleaned pan. For every 600 ml of juice, add 450 g of granulated sugar. Warm gently, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved, then bring to a full rolling boil.
  4. Boil hard for 8 to 10 minutes, then test for a set: drop a little jelly onto a chilled saucer, let it cool for a moment, and push it with a fingertip. When it wrinkles and holds a crease, setting point is reached. Skim off any foam.
  5. Ladle the hot jelly into warm, sterilised jars, filling to the top, and seal at once. Leave to cool and set undisturbed. Store in a cool, dark cupboard.

Notes

The yield depends heavily on how juicy the fruit is; expect roughly 1 to 1.2 litres of juice from this quantity of berries, and therefore three or four medium jars of jelly. If you have no apples, a sachet of pectin or a proportion of jam sugar will guarantee the set, but the apple gives a better flavour and a cleaner finish. Bramble jelly is not only a preserve for toast: a spoonful stirred into the pan juices of roast lamb, venison, or grouse makes an instant and classic British sauce.

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