Smooth Fruit Preserve

Roughly chop the pears, leaving the core and skin on. Place in a preserving pan and cover with cold water. Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the apples are soft. Drain well.

Place the pears into a large bowl and mash. Place the pear mixture into a jelly bag over a large bowl to drain overnight. Do not squeeze the bag.

Add the redcurrants to 450 g of caster sugar. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

Measure the reserved liquid from the pears. Weigh out an additional 450g of sugar for every 600ml of juice. Subtract 450g of sugar from the total as you will use the sugar you put with the redcurrants.

Place the additional sugar, juice and redcurrants into a preserving pan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Once dissolved, bring to the boil and cook and skim off any impurities that come to the surface. Cook for approximately 45 minutes or until it has reached setting point, testing on chilled saucers.