Hot and spicy but like no other chilli sauce, this delightful condiment is curiously both sweet and savoury. Amazing with meat, cheese, whatever; I’ll admit to eating it on toast for a punchy breakfast and even straight from the spoon..

I literally love the stuff.

A glut of red chillies brings a naughty smile to my face as I know what’s coming next. Here’s my quick and easy recipe for a kicking chilli jam.

Ingredients:

• 8 red chillies
• 4 Romano red peppers (deseeded)
• thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (peeled)
• 8 garlic cloves
• 750g caster sugar
• 200ml red wine vinegar
• 400g passata or finely chopped tomatoes (you could just blend a tin of tomatoes)

Method:

1. Roughly chop the chillies, peppers, ginger and garlic and then blitz in a food processor.
2. Pop all of the ingredients into a heavy pan (or jam pan if you have one), stir and bring it up to the boil.
3. Skim any scum that rises to the surface and then simmer for about an hour and a half, stirring frequently to stop it catching on the bottom of the pan. 
4. Once you’re happy with the consistency, pour into sterilised* jars.

Refrigerate after opening.

As always, recipes are only guides – if you like it hotter, pump up the chilli, garlic and ginger. I like to use a mix of chillies to create a depth of flavour and include a birdseye chilli for a nice kick.

* to sterilise jars, give them a good wash in hot soapy water and then pop them into a hot oven for 10 minutes (lids too). Alternatively, just run them through a dishwasher cycle.