Celebrating Heritage British Food & Cooking
Let’s get ready for summer after lockdown with these Pimms jelly jars from BBC good food. Fun and fruity individual desserts with a layer of set cream. Use portable jam jars to pack up for a picnic.
Pimms is a gin-based fruit cup or liqueur. Pimms No1 was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm in England. Originally served in a small tankard known as a “No1 Cup”, hence the name. Pimms No1, offered as a tonic, was made using gin, quinine and a secret herb mixture. However, modern-day Pimms has 25% alcohol or 50% proof.
Us Brits will drink Pimms at the time of summer events like music festivals, Wimbledon or Henley Regatta.
Over the years a range of Pimms Cups was based on different spirits. Cups 2-7 made using tequila, brandy, whiskey, rum and vodka. The only Cups currently in production are No1 and Winter.
Pimms Winter cup is a seasonal version with infused spices and orange peel. Seasonal Pimms jelly jars work really well.
If you like Baileys Irish Cream liqueur then try Baileys Cheesecake with Maltesers.
You will need 1 jam jar per person to make and serve this recipe as illustrated. Really, any container will do, it’s just that jars are quite trendy at the moment.
Pimms Jelly Jars
Ingredients
- 9 Gelatine leaves
- 600 ml Apple juice
- 4 tbsp Golden caster sugar
- 250 ml Pimm’s
- 6 Strawberries hulled and chopped
- 298 g Mandarin segments in juice drained
- 200 ml Single cream
- 100 ml milk semi-skimmed
- 6 cucumber thin slices, to serve (optional)
- sprigs Mint to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Put 7 gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside to soften for 5 mins. Meanwhile, heat the apple juice in a small pan with half the sugar until steaming. Remove from the heat, squeeze out the water from the gelatine, then add it to the pan, 1 leaf at a time, stirring until dissolved. Add the Pimm’s and stir again.
- Divide the strawberries and mandarin segments between 6 jam jars, pour over the apple juice and Pimm’s mixture , then put in the fridge to set for at least 4 hrs.
- When the jelly has set, soften the remaining gelatine as before. Heat the cream, milk and remaining sugar in a pan until steaming. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine, add it to the pan and mix well. Set aside to cool for 10 mins. Pour the cream mixture over the jellies, then chill for 1 hr.
- Top each jelly with a slice of cucumber and a small sprig of mint. Pack into a cooler bag for transporting. Can be made 1 day before serving.
