Preserves and pickles : 25 delicious recipes for jams, chutneys, and pickles

25 delicious recipes for jams, jellies, curds, pickles, and chutneys.

Preserves and pickles are the added extra in life, the relish to the meal, the fruity kick to your morning toast, the squidgy filling in your cake and the sweet hit that makes afternoon tea such a treat.

You only have to look on the shelves of the smartest delicatessens to see that making jams and jellies has never been so popular, with flavours and combinations that range from the traditional tried-and-tested recipes to the more adventurous and exotic.

Jam- and jelly-making and food preservation have always been an important household craft and an essential part of the culinary calendar.

Here Gloria Nicol offers 25 recipes to make the most of a glut, when fruits and vegetables are at their best and cheapest - whether you cultivate your own produce, set out on pick-your-own expeditions or shop at the local farmers' market.

In essence, this is a great way of appreciating the seasons and capturing times of plenty in a bottle; that moment when you twist the lid and pop open the seal on the jar releases a glorious memory of a bountiful time.