Strawberry jam is the classic, but the addition of gooseberries makes for a slightly tarter alternative. It's also a good way of increasing pectin levels, as gooseberries have a higher pectin content than strawberries.

I used frozen fruit for this jam, strawberries I'd picked from a fruit farm a few weeks earlier, and gooseberries from the garden. Both types of fruit had been prepared (hulled or top and tailed) then simmered for about 15 minutes before mashing with a potato masher and then frozen.
If you're pushed for time this can be a good way of spreading the jam making over a few days.

  See here for the strawberry and gooseberry jam recipe.

Recipe Costs

£2.76 700g strawberries
£0.91 700g gooseberries
£0.35 juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tblsp)
£1.15 1.4 kg granulated sugar
£0.00 150ml water
£5.17 Total
£2.56 per kg of jam (50% of the cost of quality jam)

The frozen fruit was thawed for a few hours then the lemon juice was added and all brought to a simmer in a preserving pan for about 10 minutes until it was a thick purée.

I used bottled lemon juice, about 2 table spoons is the same as you would expect to get from a lemon.

I used a mixture of granulated sugar with a bit of jam making sugar thrown in to use up the end of a packet.
Extra pectin shouldn't be needed with this recipe as the gooseberries have quite high levels and the lemon juice will help extract the maximum available.

The sugar can be warmed in a baking tray in the oven at 100°C  for 20 minutes before hand, which helps it dissolve quicker.

Keep stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved, then bring to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes before testing for setting point, this can be done using the wrinkle test.

Keep testing every few minutes until setting point is reached.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove any scum and pot in sterilised jars.

Recipe Timings

30 minutes Preparation
30 minutes Simmering and mashing
20 minutes Boiling
15 minutes Bottling

Taste Test

Tarter than strawberry jam, with the sharpness of the gooseberries working well with the sweetness of the strawberries.