Photo: Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Jelly · From Bladwijzer

Hawthorn berry jelly

Updated on 9 October 2026

• Makes: ± 4 jars of 250 ml
• Time: 1 hr + 1 night draining
• From: Midland hawthorn

Ingredients

• 1 kg ripe haws, stripped from the stalks
• 2 sour apples
• 1 litre water
• juice of 1 lemon
• sugar: 750 g per litre of juice (± 600 g)

Method

1. Wash the haws, remove the stalks and leaves and throw away any soft or grubby ones.
2. Chop the apples, skin and core included, and put everything in a large pan with the water.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30–40 minutes, until the haws are soft. Mash them now and then.
4. Leave to drip overnight through a wet cloth or jelly bag over a bowl. Do not squeeze: the stones stay behind in the cloth.
5. Measure the juice (± 800 ml), pour it into a clean pan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
6. Boil hard for 10–15 minutes, until the jelly sets on the saucer test (a drop on a cold plate wrinkles when you push it).
7. Skim off the foam, fill hot, clean jars to the brim, close and turn them upside down for 5 minutes.

Storing: A year in a cool, dark place; once opened, in the fridge. Good with cheese, game and roasts.