HOW TO PREPARE HAWTHORN BERRIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Collect enough haw berries to fill your jar. Wash them and, with a pair of sharp scissors, remove any stalks and dried flowers from the end of each berry. Haws are quite small and can take some time to top and tail, so pop a film or box set on or listen to the radio as you work.
• You can now sterilise the jar. If it has a rubber seal, remove it. Set your oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1, wash your jar in hot soapy water, place it upside down on a baking tray and put it in the oven for around 10 minutes, before removing it to cool. Don’t touch the inside of the jar before you make your gin. Boil the rubber seal for 10 minutes in a saucepan of water.
• Put a handful of haws into the jar about 3cm deep, then pour in a quarter of the sugar. Add another layer of haws, top with sugar and repeat this process until you have filled the jar. Pour in the gin, seal the jar, then upend carefully a couple of times in case air has become trapped between the berries. Top up with more gin
• Place your gin on a kitchen shelf out of direct sunlight or in a cupboard for 4–6 weeks. After this time, the colour from the berries will have seeped into the gin staining it a beautiful auburn colour.
• You can let the haws infuse further but sediment will begin to form at this stage as the berries break down. To avoid this, pour the gin though a muslin-lined funnel into another sterilised, sealable jar. Reseal the jar and discard the haws. You can now enjoy your gin. 

Steps:

• Pick 1.5lbs of hawthorn berries (haws). This will make 1 jar of hawthorn jelly, so obviously if you need more jars, pick more fruit. Make sure that you remove the stalks. A good way is to simply roll a clump of berries (stalks and all) in between your hands, and you’ll find the haws just roll off. It’s certainly easier than individually pulling off each stalk. Now wash your haws and then drain.
• Put the haws into a heavy saucepan, and cover with 1.5 pints of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour. Mash the berries with a potato masher every 20 minutes.
• Now strain the mixture over night using some muslin, or as I did, a jelly bag. To keep the jelly clear do not squeeze the jelly bag, just let the juice drip. If you’re not bothered whether your hawthorn jelly is clear or not then squeeze away.
• For every 1 pint of juice measure out 1lb of sugar. Now squeeze the juice of 1 lemon. Mix the sugar and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan along with the hawthorn juice. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
• Now rapid boil for 10 minutes until the jelly has reached setting point. Now skim off any foam from the top of the jelly liquid, and pour into sterilised, warm jars and screw on the lids. Eat at will. There is no need to leave the hawthorn jelly for a month or so.