1lb / 500gStrawberries,stem/leaves removed then diced
1 cup (approx 220g)Granulated Sugar(see notes)
1largeLemon,juice only (approx 2 tbsp)
Thick Soft White Bread,for the sandwiches (see notes)
Instructions
Place a small plate in the freezer (optional - for testing if the jam has set)
In a pot over medium heat add diced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Gently mix for a few mins until the sugar dissolves and turns watery.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 15mins, stirring frequently. The jam is ready when it turns a deeper shade of red, it has a glossy, syrupy texture and the strawberries have mostly all broken down (or at least completely softened). The boil should turn from a rapid, frothy boil to a much more relaxed boil.
To test, place a small dollop of jam on the freezing cold plate. Push it with your finger - it should wrinkle, begin to form a skin and visibly look like it's setting. If it's at all watery, continue boiling for another minute and test again until ready.
Pour or ladle into a jar and leave to come to room temp. Tightly seal in the fridge until needed (the jam will thicken more as it rests).
For the sandwich, slather your desired amount of jam on a thick slice of soft white bread and place another slice on top. For finger/afternoon tea sandwiches remove the crusts and slice into thirds, for regular sandwiches just slice in half.
Quick Demo
Notes
a) Sugar/Sweetness - You don't need jam sugar or pectin for this jam, just regular white sugar (granulated or caster sugar work fine). A lot of recipes use a higher amount of sugar, but I honestly don't think it needs it. I find 1 cup sugar is definitely sweet enough! The more ripe your strawberries are the sweeter the jam will be.b) Lemon - This is an important ingredient as it helps set the jam. Don't skip this!c) Bread - In reality you can use any bread you fancy, but the classic option is soft white sandwich bread - both for lunchboxes and afternoon tea!d) Butter - Controversial topic, but I don't believe jam sandwiches need butter. However, you can spread the bread with butter if you fancy.e) Serving - Assuming the jam makes about 1 1/4 cups jam, that's around 20 tbsp. Say you'll use around 1.5 tbsp jam per sandwich, you should get 13/14 sandwiches from this recipe. Just as a rough estimate.f) Storage - This will last tightly stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks. You can preserve long term, but you'll have to sterilize the jars. Here is a great article on how to sterilize jars for chutney.g) Calories - for 1 sandwich with 1.5tbsp jam.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.