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Strawberry and vanilla jam from Fruits of the Earth by Gloria Nicol

The perfect summer jam

Let’s face it, strawberry jam is the real classic. This fragile fruit isn’t a great keeper, so for the best jam, capture the fruit at its freshest, preserving it in recognizable chunks. This really is summer in a jar. Here I have teamed strawberries with vanilla, the perfect partner, which as far as I’m concerned you can’t ever get enough of.

This recipe uses slightly less sugar than a traditional strawberry jam might and consequently has a softer set, which means if you are feeling really gluttonous, you can eat it straight from the jar. Or swirl a few spoonfuls through a mixture of mascarpone and plain yoghurt for a fast pudding. Or dollop it onto a freshly baked scone – eating it quickly before the jam oozes away over the sides.

Makes 1.3kg (3lb)
1 vanilla pod
1kg (2lb 4oz) strawberries, hulled; larger fruits halved
750g (1lb 10oz) sugar
juice of 3 lemons

1) Split the vanilla pod lengthways into four pieces and place in a bowl with the strawberries, tucking the pod pieces in among the fruit. Cover with the sugar and leave for 12 hours or overnight.

2) Pour the fruit, vanilla pod and juice into a preserving pan and add the lemon juice. Cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring only now and then so that the fruit stays intact. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly to reach setting point. Skim if necessary

3) Remove the vanilla pod pieces, scrape the seeds out of them and add these to the jam, disposing of the pods. Stir the seeds through the jam.

4) Pour the jam into hot, sterilized jars and seal.