Old Fashioned CWA Strawberry Jam

Put the strawberries and sugar into a very deep, wide, heavy-based stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Give the pan a shake so the sugar settles down into the berries. If you don't have a really big pan, you're best to make a smaller quantity of jam, as it rises up when it boils and can spill over the sides of a small pan.)

Drizzle the lemon juice over the top, cover the pan, and leave it to sit for an hour or two.

After this, place the pan over medium/low heat and warm the mixture, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved. Now, clip a sugar thermometer to the side of the pan. (This isn't essential so don't worry if you don't have one.) Increase the heat to very high and let the jam boil rapidly, stirring it occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking on the bottom, for between 15 and 20 minutes until it has reached setting point.

When the jam is close to setting point it bubbles up rather alarmingly in the pan, so you need to keep an eye on it and adjust the temperature a bit so it doesn't boil over.

Your jam will have reached setting point when the temperature has reached 105, or when you dip a wooden spoon into the jam and the last few drops look quite thick and syrupy. You can also spoon a little jam on an ice-cold saucer and put it in the freezer for a minute or so, then push your finger through it. If the surface wrinkles up a little, it's ready. Keep testing the jam every minute of so, and as soon as it's ready, take it off the heat and let it settle for a few minutes. Ladle it into hot, sterilised glass jars, cover them with a sheet of baking paper to protect them, and leave them to cool completely.

When they're ready, remove the paper and seal the jars tightly. Label and date them, and store them in the fridge for up to 4 months.