The Best Easy Recipes for Jam, Jelly and More

Whether you are completely new to jam making or looking for new inspiration for jellies and curds, this collection of easy and reliable recipes has something for you. Find the best recipes for jam, jelly, marmalade and curd below.

The best preserves

Preserving in the modern world should be a pleasure and not a necessary chore. You can buy a jar of jam from the store if you want or need to, though it would be a real shame to let that glut of garden fruit go to waste.

See Also

• How to make jam
• Jam vs jelly – a guide to different types of sweet preserve
• A guide to pectin for jam makers
• How to sterilize jam jars
• Everything you need to know about jam setting point
• Secrets of the modern preserver – small batch preserves

My recipes are all about the simple enjoyment of making something delicious while keeping fuss to an absolute minimum. It’s a joy that’s easy to share too. Those pretty jars of colourful treats make lovely gifts.

I like to work in small batches because large ones can become hard work, and because I don’t need all that mess in the kitchen. Experienced preservers can, of course, scale these recipes up but I like smaller amounts and more variety in the kitchen cupboard.

You will find jams, jellies, marmalades and curds here. They are all easy to make, though some take a little more time than others. So please explore this collection of all my favourite preserves and enjoy making something wonderful.

Jam recipes

For most cooks, jam is our first experience of making preserves. The recipes are very straightforward and a great place to start.

While the basic method for jam is much the same whatever your fruit, the best jam recipes are adjusted for the different levels of pectin and the time needed to get a good set, so you don’t have to do those calculations yourself.

You may find some flavours and combinations you haven’t considered before. I love making jam with unusual fruit, the jams that you normally only find on the luxury conserves shelf. They are no more difficult than the usual suspects and make great gifts for friends.

Jelly recipes

Jelly recipes are not more difficult than jams. You just need to allow some hands-off time for the juices to strain. You tend to see a smaller yield for the quantity of fruit than with jam, but these jewel-like jellies are worth the investment.

A great use for crab apples and similar orchard fruits, jelly is also a good choice for blackberries because you remove all the pips.

The best jelly is clear and bright, so to be sure of good results, never poke the jelly bag when making these recipes.

Marmalade

It is one of life’s little ironies that these delicious citrus preserves are so heavily associated with the UK, and Scotland in particular. The fruit needed to make them is, of course, native to the much warmer climes of the Mediterranean.

Bitter Seville oranges are the only choice for classic orange marmalade, though some supermarkets have dropped the name and now refer to them as ‘marmalade oranges’. The season is very short, at the end of January or in February.

The winter frenzy of marmalade making remains part of natural cycle of the year for many. For those who want to make marmalade at their leisure, there is an alternative. You can now buy tins of prepared Seville orange pulp and shredded peel.

Fruit curds

These delicious preserves have a reputation for being fiddly and difficult, but that really doesn’t have to be the case. If you are new to making curd, you will be amazed at what is possible in the microwave, or power blender, and just how quick and easy it can be.