The third (and final!) batch of sloe gin is made. This one with Waitrose gin – one half with sugar and extract, the other with no sugar and a bruised almond. So the same as batches 1 & 2 but with cheaper gin – I’d like to know if the gin base makes any difference at all to the end product. And I’ll have more sloe gin at the end of it – I hope I like it!

Batch #1 is sugar+sloes+ almond extract+gin. After 3 weeks it’s already quite dark in colour and the sugar dissolved quickly. Batch #2 is sloes+almond+gin and in Gordon’s bottles so I can’t see if it’s any darker.   Sugar is to be added later on to taste and as a heavy syrup – apparently adding sugar later allows more of the natural fruit sugars to come out from the sloes. Having tasted a sloe again today, I’m unconvinced that there is any sugar in there at all!!

Quince jelly time tonight, as well as making the apple juice base for some very hot chilli jelly. Need to remember that the jelly will be less spicy when cool than when hot – and to make enough for my brother! Again, 2 batches, one with lemon drop chillies and one with chenzos. And if that gets through the jelly bag quickly enough, then it’s time for trying sloe jelly. That should give me some freezer space again!

I need that space to freeze quite a lot of chillies before they go over.