Beetroot and mint jelly recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

This is a soft-set jelly. It's ideal to make every year as soon as there's enough mint in the garden. It is great with roast pork or lamb.

3-4 medium beetroot (about 450g in total)
4 garlic cloves (optional)
1 red chilli (optional)
250ml cider vinegar
250ml apple juice
200ml apple pectin (or 1 tbsp of the powdered version), from Tesco or Sainsbury's
250g granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
50g fresh mint leaves

1. Wearing rubber gloves, peel and grate the beetroot into a bowl. Finely chop the garlic and chilli, if using, and stir into the beetroot. Transfer to a large pan with the vinegar, apple juice, pectin, sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 40-45 minutes. It should be thickened and coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
2. Roughly chop the mint leaves and stir into the pan. Transfer to sterilised jars and cool. Eat immediately or keep in a cool place for up to 6 months.