I love eating homemade jam and marmalade, but I don’t generally enjoy making it. It’s that darned setting point that brings so much stress: when is a wrinkle enough of a wrinkle to count? What is the flake test? And how come you can’t always rely on the temperature (a super-precise 104.5degC) to bring a guaranteed set?

So I am delighted to share a recipe for the queen of summer jams – strawberry and prosecco jam – that actually works, and tastes utterly heavenly. Well, it worked for me today, although that is of course no guarantee it will work next time… Sigh.

Strawberry and prosecco jam

Today’s homemade jam triumph was largely based on a recipe I found on bakingmad.com with some amends. Here’s my version:

800g hulled strawberries
1kg jam sugar
juice of half a lemon
200ml prosecco
knob of butter

Method: Place strawberries in a preserving pan and roughly crush with a potato masher. Add lemon juice and gently warm through before pouring in sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves without allowing the mixture to boil. Next, add prosecco and butter and increase the heat so the mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Maintain boil until the jam reaches magic setting temperature of 104.5degC. I use a probe thermometer. Check you have a proper set by carrying out the mysterious wrinkle test and hope for the best… before bottling your perfectly set strawberry and prosecco jam in sterilised jars.