Mixing varieties of fruits is one of the best ways of doing something personal and unique in jam-making.

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In my experience, as a jam maker as much as a jam buyer, I find that we are generally attracted by combinations of fruits. We are keen on tasting them, they are different from the basic variants we find in the trade and they indicate a mark of personal touch. A peach & banana jam will make an impression on a breakfast table different from a classic strawberry, especially if presented beside it so that there is choice.

These combinations may also result from circumstances that attach the jam to a particular place and time. Last week, my cousin’s wife, who likes to experiment with cooking, saw the apricots and greengages I had bought on the local market in the morning. She said that she would try to mix the two, and so did I with some of the fruit. The apricot & greengage jam would remind us during winter of our conversation around a drink during a nice outdoor family summer afternoon.

My advice for you to give a personal touch to your jams would be to take into consideration these external elements. I personally find them essential to the experience of the jam maker and the jam user. So, no detailed recipe today, mixing fruit, adding spices and nuts… It is for you to feel and try, apply your own circumstances. Jam-making is quite forgiving, so there is a good chance that the result will be good anyway. And if your batch has a ‘X & Y’ label, such as ‘Lemon and Pear’, it will be attractive, especially if the combination of colours in the jam is nice.

We found the apricot & greengage jam (50%-50% mix) less good than pure apricot and pure greengage. Not a very attractive combination of colours either. Good try though, which fuels family conversations! Photo 5th August.