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Water Mint Jelly

Water Mint Jelly is a traditional British recipe for a classic clear jelly made from apples that's flavoured with water mint and has shredded water mint leaves embedded in the preserve. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Water Mint Jelly.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

45 minutes

Total Time:

65 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night draining)

Makes:

4 jars

Rating:

Tags : Wild FoodVegetarian RecipesHerb RecipesBritish Recipes

For me, water mint, Mentha aquatica is one of the most delightful members of the mint family. I love the flavour and it makes an excellent mint sauce. I cam across a large stand recently and I decided to pick quite a bit both to preserve in vinegar for mint sauce over winter and to see how well it worked as a mint jelly (I was lucky enough to get quite a few crab apples at the same time).

Ingredients:

6 crab apples, washed and quartered
2.2kg cooking apples, washed and roughly chopped
juice of 3 lemons
8 sprigs water mint, finely chopped
8 sprigs water mint (leaves only), finely shredded
75g sugar per 100ml liquid

Method:

Place the apples and the chopped water mint mint sprigs in a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until very soft.

Pour into a jelly bag or a sieve lined with several layers of muslin and allow to drain into a bowl (do not be tempted to squeeze the bag as this will only make the jelly cloudy.

The following morning discard the fruit (I tend to freeze them to make pies later) then measure the volume of the liquid and add 75g sugar per 100ml of fluid.

Place the juice, lemon juice and the sugar in a saucepan, heat through then add the sugar, stirring until completely dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook rapidly for about 15 minutes. Test for setting by placing a plate in the fridge. Spoon a little of the jelly onto the plate, allow to cook then move it with your fingernail. If a crinkly skin forms then the jelly is ready. If not continue boiling for 5 minutes more and test again.

Skim the surface then stir-in the shredded mint, ensuring it's evenly distributed throughout the preserve and ladle into sterilized jars that have been warmed in an oven set to 100°C for 5 minutes. Allow 1cm of head space then secure the lid, allow to cool and store.

This is excellent when served with mutton or lamb and makes a refreshing breakfast spread.