Simple French Gooseberry Jelly Recipe

Gooseberry jelly has been on my to do list for years. When we moved to our present home, there was a beautiful apple tree, a huge blackcurrant bush, and a teeny tiny, insignificant gooseberry bush in the back garden.

It’s ill-placed, gets no sun, and, to be honest, I have neglected to nourish or care for it, thinking I will get around to it eventually…

Yet, this year, this little bush produced as much fruit as its little branches can hold! It’s not a huge bounty, just enough to keep us wanting more! 

This year I decided to try to preserve that beautiful color and flavor by making jelly, and I am delighted to share with you this simple French gooseberry jelly recipe!

French jelly sounds fancy, right? The 'French method' is really just a traditional method of preserving fruit jams, something I've just recently begun learning about.  It's a rather simple and delicious way to make your own jam without using additives that may effect the flavor. 

Most jam sugars and jam recipes include pectin to ensure preserves reach gel stage and critic acid to preserve.  You can read more about citric acid in this post for Cloudberry Jam. 

Different fruits contain different amounts of pectin. Sometimes it can be necessary to use jam sugar to encourage preserves to reach a gelling point. And sometimes, it’s just super convenient to use jam sugar! But it’s not essential! 

And if you are sensitive to citric acid or want to avoid additives in general, gooseberry preserves are great recipes to start with! 

Gooseberries are naturally quite high in pectin, making it easy to set this jelly, even if it’s your first time using this method. Including some unripe berries will also help to add pectin!

There are some tips and tricks you can use to ensure that your jelly has reached the setting point, or gel stage, as it’s sometimes called.  So you can feel confident that your homemade jam or jelly will set adequately.

THE SAUCER TRICK – my preferred method

Another useful trick if you don’t have a thermometer handy 

Spoon a little jellyy onto a cooled saucer, let the jam cool in the fridge for a minute, and then push against the side of it with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, it means the pectin network has solidified, the setting point has been reached, and you should take the mixture off the heat. 

USING A THERMOMETER TO TEST FOR THE SETTING POINT OF THE JAM

The most useful tool if you want to be sure you have reached the setting point for a jam or jelly is a thermometer. This gel test takes all the guesswork out of whether or not you have reached setting point. When the temperature of a boiling jam hits 105°C / 220°F, you know you have removed enough water from the fruit so pectin can begin forming bonds. 

There are a few ways to make gooseberry jelly. One involves using gooseberry juice together with lemon juice ( or sometimes lime juice) to aid setting. I prefer the method below as the gooseberry skins contain a lot of pectin, which is beneficial for setting the jelly. They also give the jam a beautiful color! We never waste the pulp after we have separated it from the jam and add it to other fruit crumbles or serve it with oatmeal, for example. 

Fruit to sugar ratios: Our little bush doesn't produce more than a few pounds of gooseberries, so I make small batches. 
You can adjust the recipe below if you wish to use more or less. 

Remember, sugar acts as a preservative in this recipe, so you need equal proportions of sugar to fruit. 

When making jam you need a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit. 

When making jelly you need to measure juice, and for every cup of juice use equal proportions of sugar. 

GOOSEBERRY JELLY INGREDIENTS 

500g Fresh gooseberries – I used red gooseberries. The colour of gooseberry jam and jelly can tend towards pink, even if you use green gooseberries!

If you wish to create a green gooseberry preserve, then I recommend picking your gooseberries before they are ripe! I always add a combination of ripe and unripe fruit to raise pectin levels. 

500g Granulated sugar. You may not need to use the whole amount

YOU WILL NEED:

A large pot

Clean jars

A kitchen scale

A fine sieve, cheese cloth, or muslin. I often use a fine mesh bag designed for making nut milk.

An emersion blender or food processor is helpful but not essential

A food thermometer is helpful

A small saucer or plate

METHOD

1. Start by placing a saucer in the fridge if you plan on doing the saucer test and preparing your jars. It is best if they are not sterilized too long in advance to remain thoroughly clean.

You can do this by washing thoroughly in hot water and then placing it in the oven at 160°C/ 320°F to dry.

Alternatively, wash jars and them and their lids in a large pot of water for five minutes. Remove from the hot water using tongs and place upside down on a clean tea towel to dry. Avoid touching the inside of the jars or the lids!

If you feel it necessary, wash gooseberries briefly under running water. 

2. Add the gooseberries to a large saucepan together with a splash of cold water, about 100ml /half a cup. You can add more later if you feel the fruit is too dry and risks sticking to the bottom of the pot.

I like to use an emersion blender at this point to release as much gooseberry juice as possible. You can also mash the gooseberries with a fork as they soften.

Bring to a full rolling boil slowly over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes.

Boiling is the key to jam-making because it releases pectin from the fruit. This process will normally take between 5 and 10 minutes.

3. Pass the mixture through a sieve, cheese cloth, or muslin to remove the pulp.  You can use the back of a wooden spoon to carefully push through as much juice as possible. 

Measure how many cups of juice you have before you return the hot liquid to the pot.

Add the sugar, using the ratio of equal parts juice to sugar. Stir to combine thoroughly before bringing it to a gentle boil.

A foamy scum may form on the surface and can be removed later with a spoon while the mixture is cooling.

It is a good idea to test your gooseberry jelly to see if it has reached setting point or gel stage as its often called.
You can do this in two ways:

Using a thermometer, you should aim for 105°C / 221°F.

You can also do the saucer test. Place a small blob of gooseberry jelly onto your pre-chilled saucer and return to the fridge for a minute to cool. Drag the tip of your finger through the edge of the blob; if it wrinkles, you have reached setting point and can remove the jam from the heat.

6. Fill your hot jar right o the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling, and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Wipe jar rim and seal while it’s still hot.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

This jelly is delicious on anything! But its beautiful color and tart flavor make it a perfect addition to a cheese board!

It’s also delicious and served with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream!

HOW TO STORE THIS JELLY

Store your finished jam and jelly in a dark place at room temperature. Our jam lasts for well over a year on our pantry shelf. Once opened, your jelly should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within about two weeks.

VARIATIONS

This recipe uses just simple ingredients but if you want to take your gooseberry jelly to a whole new level I recommend light or dark muscovado sugar ( alternatively pure cane sugar) and add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder or a fresh vanilla pod.

Vanilla works really well with the tartness of gooseberries, and the results are just divine! 

If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love it if you would give it 5 stars and let me know in the comments below!