Sliceable Blackcurrant Preserve

Wash the blackcurrants and place in a large pan with the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the blackcurrants are soft and pulpy.

Take a large muslin cloth or jelly bag and place it over a large bowl. Pour the cooked blackcurrants into the cloth or bag, draw up the edges and secure. Suspend the bag of blackcurrants over the bowl and leave for 4 hours for the juice to drip through.

Gently squeeze the bag to extract the maximum juice then measure how much juice you have. Place 450 g/1 lb sugar for every 500 ml/18 fl oz juice in a clean pan and add the juice. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved, then boil fast for 15-20 minutes or until a teaspoon of the mixture dropped onto a cold plate sets firm. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface from time to time.