Rosy quince & cranberry jelly

Method

• step 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.

• step 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.

• step 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.

• step 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.