3 kg gooseberries
12 umbels elderflower
preserving sugar (try Billington’s)
250ml water
In a jam or jelly pan, put the gooseberries, elderflowers and water. Bring the pan to a very light simmer, and allow the berries to become softened and collapsed. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the pulp through a non-metallic sieve.
Rinse the pan and return to the stove. Measure the resulting puree, and, for every 570ml, weigh out 350g of sugar. Warm the sugar for 20 minutes in a medium oven, then add it to the puree in the jam pan. Stir the “butter” over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then bump up the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or so, until it has reduced and thickened to the consistency of double cream.
Have a few sterilized jars at the ready, and spoon in the butter, sealing and covering as you go. Cool and store for several days before using it for filling tarts or spreading on good white bread.