Pear and Cardamom Jam

Looking to make your own Christmas gift this year or simply want to make a seasonal jam with a difference? We've taken seasonal pears and added the delicious flavours of cardamom and ginger for a vegan spread that's almost too good to gift. 

Serves: Makes 2 small jars / Vegan

Ingredients

600g pears, peeled, cored and diced 

10 cardamom pods

A thumb sized piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks

300g caster sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Split open the cardamom pods to remove the seeds - add these to a pestle and mortar and crush until you have a fine powder. Add this to a heavy based saucepan along with 2-3 of the cardamom pod skins.

2. Add the pears, ginger and lemon juice, cooking for 10 minutes until the pears release some liquid. Add the sugar, let it dissolve on a low heat, then turn up the heat and boil for 20 minutes.

3. Mash the pear with a wooden spoon now that it has softened, then boil for a further 15-20 minutes until noticeably thickened.

4. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to sterile jars.

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