Delia on the joys of preserving

Why would anyone want to make preserves in these modern times? After all, in the shops, there’s a wealth of real jams with high fruit content, and chutneys and pickles from around the world. It was okay when our ancestors grew too much for their immediate needs and had to put things by to liven up the dreariness of winter. But our problem now is too much choice, too much food every single month of the year. My answer is that for all the choice available, not a lot of it measures up to home-made.

Nevertheless, there are exceptions and there’s a great deal of creative satisfaction in seeing a row of shiny jars filled with good things stored away ready to enliven all kinds of meals. I particularly love it at Christmas, with all those cold cuts crying out for what has become a ritual in our house – chunky sautéed potatoes and an array of lovely pickles and chutneys. I’m a romantic and confess to wanting to keep alive our country’s great tradition of preserving, so I am anxious for you to learn the basic techniques, which are not difficult once you understand them. If you’ve been strawberry-picking and have an over-abundance or (as I did once, honestly) climbed a tree and hand-picked a basket of damsons, then a mouthful of summer in the depths of winter in some strawberry preserve spread over hot, buttered crumpets, or a bowl of Spiced Damson Chutney to dip your jacket potato skins into will give that pleasurable edge to everyday life.