Fragola grape jelly

Serves 4

(Lisa Barber)

2kg fragola grapes (for 1 pint/600ml of juice)
100g/31/2oz caster sugar
3 sheets of gelatine (or 11g/1/3oz powdered gelatine)
Sunflower oil

Whizz the grapes in a food processor, then strain to remove the pulp. Put the juice and sugar into a saucepan. Immerse the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften for five minutes. I prefer to work with leaf gelatin as it lends a beautiful texture, but if using powdered gelatine, sprinkle into hot liquid, stirring to dissolve. Powdered gelatine dissolves more easily if it is first softened in cold water.

In the meantime, place the saucepan with the grape juice and sugar over a gentle heat. When the sugar has completely dissolved and the juice comes just to the boil, take off the heat. Remove the gelatine from the cold water and squeeze to remove excess liquid, then add to the hot grape juice and stir to dissolve. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, to remove any pithy bits.

Lightly oil four individual pudding bowls and pour in the jelly. Allow to cool, then place in the fridge to set – this will take one or two hours. I like to serve these jellies on the day they are made, as they continue to set if you leave them in the fridge for longer and can become too firm.

When serving, to take the jelly out of the moulds, briefly dip the base of the mould into warm water, then run a little knife around the rim and invert on to the plate. I like to decorate with some sprigs of grapes. Serve straight away.