Introducing our Christmas tea box

I've been baking up a storm today to get our Christmas tea box ready as there are only 7 weeks until Christmas. A 10% discount code will be given to customers who sign up to become a site member. You will be given a discount code once membership has been confirmed. Keep up to date via our Instagram account to receive regular benefits and discounts and be the first to find out about our bakes.

This week I've been experimenting with jam: spicy green fig. My neighbour gave me some unripe figs from her garden as she's having some building work done. Usually, I would recommend leaving the figs on the shrub until spring when they will start to ripen again but she didn't want the figs to be ruined by building dust. I hate waste and immediately set about looking for a recipe. I adapted this recipe from https://www.giverecipe.com/unripe-fig-jam/.

• 1 kg (2,20 pounds) unripe figs

• 1 kg sugar

• 5 ½ cups water

• 1 lemon

• 4 cloves

• 4 tsp mixed spice

• 4 tsp cinnamon

Before you start making the jam, you must prepare the figs. They will taste bitter if you just boil them straight away. Instead, wash the figs and cover them in water in a large pan (I used a gigantic jam pan). Bring the pan to the boil and leave the figs to soften for ten minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the figs to cool. Once they are cool enough to touch, squeeze them to get rid of the bitter juice. Re-cover the figs in the pan with water and bring to the boil again. Repeat the boiling, cooling and squeezing process. The figs should now be quite soft.

Making the jam

1. Using a peeler, peel the yellow rind from the lemon and put this into a clean pan. Add the sugar and 5 1/2 cups of water. Heat this mixture until the sugar has dissolved into the water.

2. Add this mixture to the drained, rinsed figs in a large jam pan. Add the juice from the lemon. Also add the mixed spice and cinnamon.

3. Boil this mixture for about 30 minutes making sure that it does not burn or run out of liquid.

4. Use a soup blender to make a smooth jam and transfer the jam to sterilised jars while it is still hot.

5. I sterilise my jars by heating them in the oven at about 80 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes. I fill them while the jam is hot, seal the top with a piece of baking paper, put the lid on. Tighten the lid and then turn the jar upside down (if possible) to cool. Turning the jar upside down stops bacteria from forming in the gap.

This jam is not as sweet as other jams so goes well with sweet and savoury teas. It's a lovely dark green colour. Good luck and do let me know how your jam turns out.

x Mel