Transform the season’s abundant fruit and berries into pots of goodness, to be enjoyed long after the glorious days of summer have cooled into autumn and winter

PHOTOGRAPHS TOBY SCOTT FOOD STYLING LOTTIE COVELL STYLING OLIVIA WARDLE

”I love preserving. From the selecting of the fruit and vegetables to the final labelling of the jar, each aspect of this age-old skill thrills me. I find joy in stacking my shelves with homemade pickles, jams and chutneys then, months later, enjoying the fruits both of the harvest and of my labour.THANE PRINCE, FOOD WRITER”

THANE’S 10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PRESERVING…

KNOW HOW

1 Choose the best quality fruit and vegetables to ensure good clean flavours.

2 Read the recipe through carefully and have everything in place before you start.

3 Make small batches of several different preserves to avoid boring your family with endless jars of, say, courgette chutney.

4 Wash, rinse and sterilise your jars, bottles and lids carefully (see box, p64). I heat them in the oven at 140°C for 20 minutes.

5 Using white sugar will give a bright colour to jams and pickles but unrefined sugar gives an additional layer of flavour.

6 Chop fruit and vegetable to a similar size so they cook evenly and look attractive.

7 Mix and match spices and herbs according to your own tastes but do follow a basic recipe to get the proportions right.

8 Vinegars vary in strength: pickles need 6 per cent acidity; for chutneys, 5 per cent is fine. Check the labels.

9 Always label jars and bottles clearly – it can be difficult to tell ketchup from blackberry jam by looks alone.

10 Never leave a pan of jam or chutney boiling, as sugar burns quickly.

Smoky blackberry ketchup

Ketchup – but not as you know it