Fig Jam

200g sugar

100ml water

1kg fresh figs

Rosemary

Honey

Culinary lavender

Method

Pluck your figs from the tree. Snip off the tiny bit of stem that is still attached to the fruit, then cut them up a little if they’re big units.

Take a heavy based pot, apply the water, and the sugar, then gently bring to a simmer, being sure to stir the sugar so it doesn’t clump.

Once the syrup is simmering, drop in your figs, and gently simmer, while stirring, ensuring the figs become lathered in the syrup. Don’t let it stick and burn either.

Once the figs start to go a touch brown, drop in around a teaspoon each of dried rosemary, honey, and culinary lavender. These 3 additions are my preference as aromatics. Dont be shy to mix it up with different additives to try something different.

Simmer away your pot of fruity sugar until the figs are starting to fall apart, then blitz mixture with a stick blender, or in a standing blender.

Return you paste to a the pot, and continue to simmer until the paste reaches a thick, jam like consistency.

If you haven’t prepared your jars, then place your jars and lids into some stinking hot water, being careful not to burn yourself, then remove the jars and rest upside down on a teatowel.

Using a ladel or a spoon, syphon the jam into your jars, and screw the lids on as tight as you can.

Label the jars, probably wack a date on them, and allow 24-48 hours to set.

#Pickle pro-tip: If you are going to dabble into the world of culinary lavender, do not under any circumstances just grab some from yours or your neighbors garden. Using standard lavender in cookery with f*”k your taste buds up for weeks. Find a supplier of the good stuff. I’m not joking.