Inspired by her neighbours homemade jam recipes, Sarah Al-Hamad shows us the wonders of dates in this recipe for date, pear and stem ginger jam. Utterly delicious and fragrant this spread goes well with a buttered slice of crisp brown bread. 

Serves 4

Cooking time: 40 mins

What You’ll Need: 

• 11oz/300g dates, chopped
• juice 1/2 lemon
• 2lb 4oz/1kg pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 1/2 cups/ 500g granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3 pieces preserved stem ginger, finely chopped

What To Do: 

• Begin by sterlizing the jars. Wash them in warm soapy water, then dry in the oven at 300F/150C/gas 2 for 10 minutes. Alternatively run them through a hot dishwasher cycle before letting them dry completely. Meanwhile, whizz the dates and lemon juice together in a food processor until finely chopped, then set aside.

• Place the pears in a heavy-bottomed pan and cover with 2 1/4 cups/ 500ml water. Cook gently over low heat for about 10 minutes until the pears soften. Add the sugar and stir continuously until dissolved, then increase the heat and bring to a boil without stirring.

• Boil for 15 minutes or so until the jam thickens and reaches setting point (the pears will turn very pale and the mixture will thicken and bubble up). To test, drop a little jam onto a chilled plate; it should wrinkle when pressed with a finger. If not, keep cooking and test again at one-minute intervals.

• Once set, stir in the date purée, ground ginger, and chopped stem ginger. Cook on low heat for one minute, then leave to cool slightly in the pan before carefully pouring into the jars. Cover immediately with lids and store in a dry cupboard away from direct sunlight. Refrigerate once opened.

Recipe from the ‘Sun Bread and Sticky Toffee’ cookbook by Sarah Al-Hamad. Available from www.interlinkbooks.com 

For some ideas on vegetarian dishes, see our roundup of the best vegetarian recipes.