Apple and cinnamon jam

Totally experimental this one. I had more apples than I was ever going to eat and I'm just getting into making preserves, so I decided to give it a go.

Ingredients
600g apple, peeled cored and chopped
250g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
200ml water
1 sachet pectin

* chuck all the ingredients into a large pan
* bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for around an hour
* pour into sterilised jars

Blackberry and Apple Chutney

The allotment is still yielding plenty of blackberries, and there's only so many pies and cakes I can eat so I decided to make my first foray into the realms of chutney. I got 6 jars of various sizes out of this batch, which will make great gifts this Christmas.

Ingredients
3 bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks
3 eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1 large red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
1/2 tsp chopped red chillies
25g fresh ginger, finely chopped
220g sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
400g blackberries

* first prepare the jars. Wash them in hot soapy water then place in a roasting tin and put in the oven at 100C to dry out for an hour, or as long as it takes to make the chutney
* put all the ingredients except the blackberries in a big pan and heat whilst stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour or until the apples and onions have softened and the liquid has reduced and stopped being watery.
* add the blackberries and cook for another 10 minutes so the blackberries soften but still hold their shape
* spoon the chutney into the hot jars and screw the lads on tightly
* store in a cool dark place and refrigerate once opened

Blackberry and Apple Pie

My husband and I have decided to start a vegetable plot on a field which his family owns. At the moment it's mostly covered in brambles, so before we started to clear the ground we picked as many ripe blackberries as we could find. It's early in the season, but we ended up with over a kilogram! Time for pie! :-)

Ingredients (makes a 9 inch pie)
150g cold butter, cubed
275g plain flour
30g icing sugar
1 beaten egg
1/2 tbsp cold water
1 cooking apple, cored peeled and chopped
400g blackberries, washed
75g brown sugar
Beaten egg to glaze

* rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it looks like breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter left
* add the egg and water and mix by hand until it forms a dough. Shape into a ball and chill for 30 minutes
* heat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a 9inch pie tin. I bought a disposable foil one since I don't currently own a pie tin
* roll out half the dough to line the tin. Try not to handle it more than you need to
* mix the fruit and brown sugar together and fill the pie base, then roll out the remaining pastry to put on top
* cut off any excess pastry and crimp round the edges of the pie with your fingertips. Make a couple of small holes in the lid to allow steam to escape and glaze the top with beaten egg
* bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp

Nutritional info (per 1/8 pie)
Cal: 330, Fat: 16.4g, Carbs: 41.7g, Protein: 4.9g