Quick Vs Long Lockdown Recipes: Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam Vs Rice Pudding

I've got two sweet recipes that complement each other nicely this week; A spoonful of gooseberry jam tastes delicious stirred into a steaming bowl of home-made rice pudding! Give them both a try this week...

Short Recipe: Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam

To make the jam you'll need equal quanities of gooseberries, granulated sugar and water. (E.g 500ml or grams of each will make 1 large jam jar full).

Cut the tops and bottoms off the gooseberries and place in a saucepan. Add the boiling water, 4 elderflower heads and a generous squeeze of lemon juice, then simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat down a bit, remove the elderflower heads and add the sugar. Cook for a further 10 minutes (don't let it boil!) whilst gently stirring. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, then you can crank up the heat and boil for a further 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent the bottom catching. Watch the mixture turn pink as it cooks! Skim the collected residue off the top.

Spoon into sterilised jars and store in the fridge. Yum!

Inspiration taken from BBC Good Food and River Cottage.

Longer Recipe: Rice Pudding (makes 4 servings)

Although it takes longer, this is SO EASY. Just pile the ingredients together, place in the oven and be greeted a few hours later with a simple but wholesome dessert.

Mix together in a greased ovenproof dish 100g rinsed shortgrain rice (paella or risotto rice work well), 50g white sugar, 500ml semi-skimmed milk and 200ml water. Grate over a generous pinch of nutmeg and add a bay leaf.

Cook without a lid for 2 hours in an oven at 120-130C (fan). Serve with a dollop of your homemade jam or some chopped fresh fruit. Wonderfully warming!

Recipe adapted from BBC good food.

Happy cooking! x