Ingredients

Method

• 1 kg yellow plums 1 kg, stoned
• 500 g white sugar 500 g
• 6 cardamom pods 6
• 3 fresh lemon thyme 3 sprigs or 1 t stripped leaves

Method

Ingredients

Halve the plums and place in a large, heavy-based saucepan with the sugar and cardamom pods. Cover and leave for 1 hour.

Place the saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Increase the heat and boil rapidly for 15 to 20 minutes . Do not stir unless the mixture starts catching at the bottom as vigorous stirring will break up the fruit.

Add the lemon thyme and boil for 5 to 10 minutes.

Allow the compôte to cool slightly then pour into sterilised jars and store in the fridge.

Cook's note: When making preserves, you should use the cooking time as a guideline. The pectin content of the fruit, which determines how quickly a preserve will set, influences the cooking time greatly. If your fruit comes straight off a tree it will set much quicker than fruit that has been stored.