We're jammin'. Hope you like jammin' too.The World Jam Festival in the picturesque North Yorkshire town of Helmsley may have been called off this year because of Coronavirus. But put September 11th and 12th 2021 in your diary when it will be back stickier and sweeter than ever.
We asked the event's coordinator, Anna Lupton, to give us her recipe for fig jam so on your marks, get set...cook!
"I am the world's worst at handing out recipes as I rarely use the scales," says Anna.
I was going to enter some of my fig jam in the festival … One year I made over 100 pounds of it.
What I do it cut the stalky bit that has not flesh in it off, and then cut the fruit in half then each half into quarters and add some lime juice as well as lemon just to take the “tacky” taste off it with just enough water to stop it burning on the bottom of my jam pan.
I would say 5 to 6 lbs (2.25-2.75kg). Keep giving them a stir and cook them until they have gone soft.
I just put the pan on the hottest ring of the Aga. I will have about 4 inches [by eye] deep and add about 6 scoops of sugar which I buy in bulk in 25-kilo bags, so again about 5-6 pounds, you can tell by the feel, which I know isn't very helpful to people how haven't made it before! Then stir it in and get it up to a good bubbling boil for about 10 minutes, stirring on and off.
Then I get a saucepan and drop a bit on and if it runs in a thick stream it's ready. I then add some butter, probably about 2 ounces. If it doesn't work you can add a bit more, to take the froth off the top, then take it off the heat."
If you want somewhere to stay for the festival, Anna runs her own B&B at Ampleforth so click HERE for details
