Gooseberry jam with juniper and citrus

Flavoured with gin-inspired botanicals, this delicious gooseberry jam is simple to make and preserves summer fruit to enjoy all year.

We stopped at a fruit stand on the side of the road in Norfolk recently. There was a lot of locally grown soft fruit, and along with the strawberries, tayberries and raspberries, I bought a punnet of large and lovely-looking gooseberries. They were a gorgeous jewel-pink dessert variety, and I was pretty excited to eat them.

Delayed gratification

Only later, when we got home, did I remember that I’d sworn off sugar for a few weeks! Since gooseberries have a natural tartness that practically demands sweetener, it was unlikely I’d be able to eat my lovely berries any time soon!

I considered freezing them, but ultimately decided to take the old-fashioned preserving route, and make gooseberry jam. That way I could cook them up, then store for a few weeks (or longer) before enjoying them in a delicious gooseberry jam sandwich. Yum!

Gin and… gooseberries?

I think that the flavours of gooseberries and gin go together wonderfully, but I didn’t want to add any alcohol to my gooseberry jam recipe. Instead I added citrus peels and juniper berries to give a hint of gin’s botanical flavours. You could also try adding some coriander seeds, or a bayleaf, too. 

It smelled delicious as it was bubbling away! The gooseberry jam also took on a gorgeous deep pink colour as it cooked.

Easy gooseberry jam

I always think that jam is much easier to make than you might think. It has just a handful of ingredients, and the end results are usually delicious! Once you’ve done it once or twice you’ll feel confident that you can get it right.

The only slightly tricky bit is testing for the ‘set’ but if you use a frozen saucer it is easy to do. Simply drop a spoonful of the bubbling jam onto a saucer that’s been chilling in the freezer for a while. Wait a few seconds, then ‘push’ the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles, your jam is ready! If it’s still liquid, keep cooking for a few minutes more and then test again.

I usually start testing after about 15 minutes, as the exact cooking time can vary depending on how much pectin is in your particular batch of fruit.

Tasty mistakes!

In the past, I’ve had jam that’s come out both under- and over-done. If it’s not quite set enough, you simply have more of a sauce, or fruit in syrup, rather than a jam. Still good spooned over a warm slice of cake, or added to a bowl of yogurt.

If it’s over-done, it can be harder to spread, but the jam will still be good for making steamed sponge puds or stirring into a hot rice pudding. With all that fruit, sugar and other goodies, you’re unlikely to end up with something totally irretrievable!

Gooseberry jam recipe

The recipe below produces a soft and delicious, fragrant gooseberry jam. I made four small jars of jam from a single large punnet of gooseberries. They make great gifts if you can’t manage to eat it all yourself! Alternatively use larger jars and make 2 or 3.

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📖 Recipe

Gooseberry jam with juniper & citrus

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Flavoured with gin-inspired botanicals, this delicious gooseberry jam is simple to make and preserves summer fruit to enjoy all year.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Servings 4 jars

Calories 644 kcal

Equipment

• 2 large or 4 small jam jars

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 600 g gooseberries
• 5-6 juniper berries
• 2 strips lemon peel
• 2 strips orange peel
• ½ lemon – juiced
• 600 g caster sugar

Instructions

 

• Place a few saucers in the freezer. Wash out 2 large or 4 small jam jars with hot soapy water. Rinse, and leave to dry in a low oven (around 100°C/212°F).
• Top and tail the gooseberries and wash thoroughly. Place in a large pan with the juniper berries, citrus peels and lemon juice.
• Heat over a medium flame for a few minutes until the fruit softens and the juices begin to run. Add the sugar and stir in.
• Continue to heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to boil for around 15 minutes.
• Remove a saucer from the freezer. Spoon about a teaspoonful of hot jam onto the saucer and wait for a few seconds. Run your finger through the jam – if it wrinkles, it's done! If the jam is not quite ready, cook for a few minutes more and repeat the 'saucer test' until you're happy that the jam is set.
• Take the pan off the heat and stir to mix in any foam from the surface. Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes.
• Remove the jars from the oven and carefully fill with the jam – it will be VERY hot. Screw on the lids and leave the jars to cool – the jam will be extremely hot so it may take a few hours before the jars are fully cooled.
• Wipe any drips from the outside of the jars and label them.
• Enjoy your jam!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gooseberry jam with juniper & citrus

Serving Size

 

1 jar

Amount per Serving

Calories

644

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.1

g

1

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

0.1

g

Sodium

 

3

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

300

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

165

g

55

%

Fiber

 

6

g

25

%

Sugar

 

150

g

167

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

 

435

IU

9

%

Vitamin C

 

42

mg

51

%

Calcium

 

39

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword gooseberry

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How to eat gooseberry jam

Why not spread this jam onto a slice of homemade challah? Or dollop it onto some delicious Norwegian waffles?