There is something about blackberry season that always takes me straight back to childhood.

My grandma would disappear into the kitchen with bowls full of freshly picked brambles from the hedgerows, and before long the whole house would smell of bubbling fruit and sugar. By the end of the day, neat rows of homemade preserves would be cooling on the worktops before finding their place in the cold pantry, ready for the months ahead. I can still remember opening that pantry door and seeing shelves lined with jars of jams, chutneys and pickles. It felt like a little treasure trove in that pantry!

Now, every year as the blackberries begin to ripen, I find myself doing exactly the same.

Whether you call it “blackberry jam” or the more traditional “bramble jam”, this simple recipe is one I come back to year after year. It uses just a handful of ingredients, lets the fruit shine, and gives you beautifully rich, glossy jam that is perfect spread over warm toast, freshly baked bread or homemade scones.  It also is lovely as a jam filling in cakes and desserts.

If you are lucky enough to have wild blackberries growing nearby, even better.  There is nothing like a free forage… however, please see my notes below. There really is something rather special about turning a basket of freshly picked fruit into jars of homemade jam that will remind you of summer long after autumn has arrived.