Gooseberry jam

I'd forgotten just how hideous picking gooseberries is - our giant bush has very prickly thorns.

This makes about 2.5 normal-sized jars of jam - perfect for putting two in the cupboard, and starting one right away. It's definitely on the sweet side. You'll need:

650g gooseberries (topped and tailed)
900g sugar
300 ml water

Stick the gooseberries and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the skins have gone soft and the gooseberries are reduced to a gloopy pulp (this should take about half an hour). Add the sugar and stir, until it's all dissolved. Bring the jam quickly to the boil, and then boil rapidly for about 10 minutes - you really need to stir it well.

Pop a plate in the fridge or freezer, and drop a tiny amount of the mixture onto it. If it wrinkles when you push your finger across it, you've reached setting point. Beware - don't boil this jam for too long, as gooseberries contain a lot of pectin. I made that mistake, and my jam is (a) very dense and (b) very stiff!

Decant into some sterilised jamjars, and leave to cool.

(You can sterilise jamjars by washing with hot soapy water, and then drying out in the oven on a low heat. Using warm jars also stops the glass from cracking when you pour the boiling hot jam in.).

Fruity flapjack pots

This was rather slung together, to make a quick pudding for Gran and Grandpa (lover of puddings extraordinaire). You could use any sort of sour fruit - rhubarb, gooseberries, redcurrants - as long as you balance it with a little apple.

You'll need:

4 small oven-proof ramekin dishes (those glass ones that Gu puds come in are ideal)
a selection of fruit (ours included three or four stems of rhubarb from the allotment, a couple of gooseberries, half an apple that was leftover from your lunch and a banana)
2 heaped teaspoons of golden syrup (honey would also be nice)
25g butter (ish)
6 or 7 tablespoons rolled oats

Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.

Chop up the rhubarb, gooseberries and apple (peeled and cored), and chuck into a small pan. Add a little hot water, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit has broken down. Spread this mixture at the bottom of your ramekins. I didn't have a huge amount (there wasn't much rhubarb available), so I sliced up a banana as well, and divvied it up among the ramekins.

Melt the butter and golden syrup in a non-stick pan. Add the rolled oats, and stir - you want the oats to become completely covered in the butter/syrup mixture. If it's a bit dry, add a little more butter.

Spoon the oaty mixture onto the top of the fruit, and then stand the ramekins on a baking tray (it makes them easier to get in and out of the oven). Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the flapjack-y top has gone crispy, and the fruit is bubbling underneath.

We ate this with a little cream drizzled on the top (ice cream would also be good).