Yesterday we took ourselves off in the morning to Hawkswick Lodge Farm just on the outskirts of St Albans. Yes, it’s pick-your-own season, and we came back having picked lots of strawberries, a fair few redcurrants and a small box of gooseberries. Recommended for a trip out – reasonable prices, delicious fruit, adequate car park, friendly staff and acres of fruit. The strawberries are even grown at waist height so you don’t need to bend down to collect them all.
Now, what to do with all of that fruit…

Fruits of our labours	Double, double…
The finished article	Jam packed

Recipe: 900g strawberries, 900g redcurrants, 2kg jam sugar, 3tbsp lemon juice. Put fruit and lemon juice in pan; add sugar. Heat and stir gently to draw out juice and dissolve sugar, then boil quickly until setting point reached. Pour into jars, cover and seal. Takes about 30 mins to prepare fruit then 45mins to heat.