Instructions

1. Place 3 or 4 small plates into the freezer.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. Place the sugar in an ovenproof bowl and warm it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
4. In a large saucepan with high sides, cook the strawberries with the lemon juice over medium-high heat.
5. As the strawberries start to soften, use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash the strawberries to your desired consistency. I like my strawberry jam to be somewhat smooth so I mash everything to a pulp.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for a few minutes before adding the warm sugar.
7. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and continue boiling the mixture for about 10 minutes.
8. Stir the mixture frequently (and carefully) to make sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
9. If any froth appears on the surface of the mixture, skim this off with a large spoon.
10. If you are using a sugar thermometer, the jam is ready when it reaches 105°C (220°F).
11. If you are not using a sugar thermometer (or even if you are), to test if the jam has reached setting point, put a tablespoon of jam onto a chilled plate. Run your finger through the jam. If the line remains, the jam is ready. If the jam fills the line, it is still too liquid and has not yet reached setting point. If the jam is not ready, continue boiling the mixture and testing the setting point every 5 minutes or so.
12. Fill your sterilised jars with the jam and seal them while they are still warm.