How a nervous breakdown led to the best jam in the world
Vickie Humber, a mother of four from Bedfordshire, never expected a jammy life. Here she tells us how preserves perked her up, and also shares her recipe for strawberry jam.
The power of preserves
If you had told me six years ago that one day my life would revolve around jam, I wouldn't have believed you. But happen it did, and here’s how…
In June 2007 I had a nervous breakdown and was housebound for about two weeks. As part of my recovery, I would go to the local supermarket and buy reduced price fruit and make jam. As I got better and stronger I bought more and more fruit, making more and more jam every day – it sounds idyllic, but there was just one problem: my husband Steve and our four kids don’t like jam!
One day, in September 2007, Steve asked, “what are we going to do with all that jam under the stairs?” It was then that I had a brainwave – I could sell it on a stall at the local vintage tractor rally. It proved really successful and the following week we had a stall on my home town’s market, and started on some local farmers’ markets too. I expanded my range of jams at the same time, using new ingredients and fresh ideas.
World Jampionship winner
We have gone from strength to strength since, winning Great Taste Awards in 2011 and 2012 and, the best of them all, getting the gold at the World Jampionships in August 2012. The Jampionships are run from Blairgowrie, Scotland, and were started to promote the celebration of the berry fields that the area is famous for.
My strawberry jam beat over 200 other entries to be crowned the very best in the world, and since this my little business has been struggling to keep up with demand for my products. So much so that now, after six years of working from my home kitchen, Humbers Homemade is hoping to move to a small commercial unit and we’re asking for any donations to help us kit it out with all the bits and bobs we need [Vickie has since reached her fundraising target].
Humbers Homemade include over 40 jams, marmalades, jellies, chutneys and pickles in their produce, such as lemon marmalade, hedgerow jelly, traffic jam, and pear and walnut chutney. To find out more, visit humbershomemade.co.uk.
Vickie’s strawberry jam recipe
This recipe makes five 12oz/340g jars of jam.
Ingredients
- 1 kg strawberries (hulled)
- 1 kg jam sugar
- 2.2 lbs strawberries (hulled)
- 2.2 lbs jam sugar
- 2.2 lbs strawberries (hulled)
- 2.2 lbs jam sugar
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Condiment
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Gently heat the strawberries in just enough water to prevent them from sticking on the pan.
- Once the juices from the strawberries have started to come out, depending on the size of the strawberries you can either mash them or leave them whole.
- Then add the jam sugar to the pan and on a gentle heat, stir it in and let it dissolve.
- Once the pan starts to boil, turn the temperature up and bring the pan (whilst stirring) to a rolling boil. Generally you will only need to let it boil fully for a few minutes.
- Check to see if it has reached setting point. I do this by using the wrinkle test: put a couple of small plates in the fridge and when you think that the jam is at setting point, take the pan off the heat and put a small amount onto one of the plates and put it back in the fridge for a minute, then take it out and push it from one side to the other with a finger. If it 'wrinkles' it has reached setting point; if it just separates you need to get that rolling boil going again for another minute and repeat the test until setting point is reached.
- Leave the jam to cool for a few minutes stirring every now and then before bottling up. Stirring will make sure that the fruit is evenly dispersed through the jam and not just floating on top.
- Bottle into sterilised jars (wash in warm soapy water then pop into an oven at 160C for 20 minutes and 5 minutes for the lids). I don't use a jam funnel as I much prefer using a measuring jug as that way I am able to see how far up the jar the jam is.
- Fill to within 2-3mm of the top of the jar and put the lid on straight away - this gives a nice vacuum seal to the jar.
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