Lemon and Thyme Jelly

Stour Festival's traditional pudding array includes jelly, as singers are supposed not to eat too much cream or chocolate (some of them definitely haven't read this memo!!!), as they are apparently bad for the vocals.  All I can say, having heard some stunning performances, is, rubbish! 

Nonetheless, I do like to include the odd jelly (some very odd) to cater for the dairy free, the picky eater and the jelly fan.     This year's selection included a Lemon and Thyme jelly (always experimenting).     Actually, not just lemon, it also includes orange juice.   I found the recipe on line, on the blog "From the Larder", but have altered it as the original was so sharp you couldn't have blown a kiss afterwards, let alone a Baroque trumpet!

Lemon and Thyme Jelly

Lemon and Thyme Jelly

½ pint/300ml lemon juice (about 6-7 lemons)

1/3 pint/200ml orange juice (2 oranges)

7 oz/200g caster sugar (or to taste)

2 sprigs of thyme plus more to decorate

4 gelatine leaves (enough to lightly set 1 pint/600ml approx)

First (and if you have the time (ha ha)), heat the juice, sugar and thyme together and leave to infuse for an hour.   Strain the juice.    Heat 4fl oz/100ml of the juice. 

Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until they are flexible, then squeeze off the water before dropping the soggy leaves into the hot juice and stirring to dissolve the leaves entirely.    When you are sure there are no lingering shreds of gelatine, pour this mixture into the rest of the juice and stir thoroughly – you don’t want a layered effect with a thicker jelly at the bottom.   Pour the jelly into a pretty bowl and leave it to set in the fridge for at least four hours.   You could add the decorative thyme sprigs just before it has set, or sprinkle them on afterwards.  Either way, it looks very pretty.