GIN AND LIME MARMALADE

Steps:

• 1.Cut the limes in half and juice them all. Pour the juice along with the water into a large stainless steel plan. Scrape the membrane and pips out of the remaining lime halves and save it in a bowl.
• 2.Chop the membranes up either by hand or in a small food processor, then sit on top of a square of muslin and then gather up the edges and tie securely with string and pop it into the pan, tying it to the handle so it doesn't bob about too much.
• 3.Next finely slice the lime halves into the thinnest strips you can manage and pop them into the pan to soak overnight - they're pretty tough so it's worth doing this to make your marmalade softer to eat
• 4.The next day bring the pan to the boil with the lid on, then turn the hob down to the lowest setting and allow to simmer for two hours. Your kitchen will smell of zesty citrus.
• 5.Meanwhile, pop your sugar into an ovenproof bowl and war
• 6.Remove the muslin wrapped lime innards from the pan, squeezing gently to remove any excess juice. Add the warmed sugar and dissolve over a low heat, then turn the heat up until the liquid churns up into a rolling boil. Take your jars out of the oven and place onto a wooden board. Pour approx one teaspoon of gin into the bottom of each jar.
• 7.Keep the rolling boil up until you reach setting point. This can take 5 minutes, but always seems to take me more like 20 mins. Keep checking by plunging a wooden spoon into the marmalade, lifting out and twisting until the liquid runs off. If you're left with a droplet that hangs stubbornly from the spoon like a flake without dripping, then you've reached setting point. Don't fret, just keep boiling until it happens. Turn the heat off and push any scum that's formed on the surface to the side with a metal spoon and then lift out and into a dish. (I like to spread this on toast later)
• 8.Ladle the marmalade into a jug and pour into the jars and fill to just under the brim and then seal with lids. Allow to cool completely before labelling.
• t's much easier to process the limes if they're room temperature. If they're straight out of the fridge they'll be tougher and won't yield as much juice. You can pop them in a bowl of warm water to soften them if you're in a hurry.