Three recipes were requested by people this morning – cherry plum chilli sauce, Asian-style plum sauce and Jostaberry cordial.

With the cordial syrup, I have also included instructions that apply to berries of all sorts and also blackcurrants.

Cherry Plum Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients

500g cherry plums, weight with stones removed, chopped

220g long red chillies, ends removed and chopped finely

4 ½ cups white wine vinegar

4 ½ cups white sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ tablespoons grated fresh green ginger

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons cornflour mixed to a paste with 1 tablespoon extra vinegar (optional)

Method

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Boil over medium heat for 40 minutes.

Thicken if needed with the cornflour paste.

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Asian style Plum Sauce

Ingredients

1kg cherry plums (weight with stones removed), chopped

375g onions, diced

10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

200g fresh green ginger, chopped

125ml soy sauce

60ml mirin

500ml white or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

500g sugar

2 star anise, ground finely

Method

Place the plums, onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar and salt in a saucepan.  Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer for 30 minutes.  Press mixture through a sieve or food mill.

To the resulting sauce, add the sugar and star anise.  Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer for 40 minutes.

Pour into warm, sterilised bottles and seal immediately.

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Jostaberry, Berry or Blackcurrant Cordial Syrup

Multiply this out as many times as you like.  In fact, making larger batches is better, as the syrup is less likely to want to set.

Ingredients

2kg jostaberries or other berries or blackcurrants

2 litres water

Sugar

3 level teaspoons tartaric acid or citric acid

½ cup white vinegar

Method

Place the berries (or currants) and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. 

Strain through a colander, and then strain the resulting liquid through a kitchen sieve lined with a layer of muslin (or even a clean tea towel will do).

For each cup of the resulting liquid add one cup of sugar. 

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat immediately to a simmer and cook for one minute more.  Stir in tartaric or citric acid and vinegar, pour into sterilised bottles and seal immediately.

Note: in case your fruit was very high in pectin, use wider mouthed jars for the cordial.  If it does tend to set, simply reheat a little at serving time (about 20 seconds on high per bottle in the microwave is usually sufficient}.