Rosy quince & cranberry jelly

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
This tangy jelly makes a fantastic accompaniment to your Christmas roast turkey, pork pie, ham or cheeseboard – or a gorgeous gift

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:1 hrs 45 mins
    plus overnight straining
  • More effort

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 46
  • fat 0g
  • saturates 0g
  • carbs 11g
  • sugars 11g
  • fibre 0g
  • protein 0g
  • salt 0g

Ingredients

  • 4 large quinces, roughly chopped
  • 450g Bramley apples, roughly chopped – don’t worry about coring
  • 450g fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1kg bag preserving sugar (not with added pectin)
  • 1 tsp rosewater
  • a few small, fresh bay leaves, to decorate the jars (optional)

Tip

Sterilising your jars

Once your jelly is on the go, heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4 and wash your jars in hot soapy water. Stand upside down, still wet, on a baking tray and leave in the oven for 10-15 mins, then fill while still warm. 

Method

  1. Put the quinces, apples and cranberries in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and cook more gently for about 1 hr until the fruit is really soft.

  2. Hang a jelly bag over a large mixing bowl, tip the fruit in and let it drip overnight – don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag, or the pulp will come through and your jelly will be murky.

  3. The next day, measure the amount of juice you have and, for every 1ml of liquid, match with grams of the sugar (so for 500ml you’d need 500g sugar). Tip both into a preserving pan, or large pan, and bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat once the sugar has gone and boil until it reaches 110C on a sugar thermometer.

  4. Skim any scum off the surface of the liquid, then stir in the rosewater. Ladle into sterilised jars (see below left), adding a bay leaf to each one, if you like, and cover with lids – or wax discs, cellophane and elastic bands.

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