These precious summer jewels are not the easiest little morsels to pick, nestled tightly on prickly branches. Making them into jelly is worth the effort though. Quantities depend on the amount of juice you get from the fruit.

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram blackcurrants
• sugar (see method for quantity calculation)

Method

1. Wash the fruit - there is no need to pick off any stems.
2. Place the fruit in a heavy-based saucepan with just enough water to cover and cook very gently over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the currants are soft.
3. Place into a jelly bag and leave to strain overnight. Do not be tempted to squeeze the jelly bag or your jelly will be cloudy. Reserve the fruit in the jelly bag as you will be able to make up a second batch.
4. Measure the juice and return it to the saucepan with 2½ cups sugar for every 2 cups juice.
5. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes until the jelly will give a set (see Allyson's guide to jams). As blackcurrants are rich in pectin, a set will happen quite quickly.
6. Remove from the heat and scoop off any scum with a flattish spoon or use absorbent paper lightly dragged across the top.
7. Second boiling
8. You'll get half as much jelly from the second boiling: quantities depend on the weight you started with.
9. Take the reserved pulp and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Simmer gently for 30 minutes and strain as above. Add 1 cup of sugar for ever cup of juice and simmer about 10-15 minutes to gain a set. Bottle into hot sterlised jars and seal.

Cooks Tips

- Jelly can be made with as small a quanitity as 500 grams of fruit although, given the amount of skin and pulp that is discarded I suggest you start with 1 kilogram of fruit. - A jelly bag is a conicle-shaped fine mesh bag, normally made from nylon and available at all good cook stores. They come with calico straps so they can be arranged over the underside of a chair or hang off a door knob to let the fruit juice fall away to a bowl below. Alternatively line a sieve or colander with a clean chux clother or double layer of muslin and hang over a deep pan to ensure the fruit does not sit in the jucie below as this will make it cloudy.