I seem to have come right after taking a homeopathic remedy all afternoon, and getting some food into me. But Kye is still pretty sick. All his colds seem to descend to his chest way too quickly. He was so exhausted tonight all it took to get him to sleep was a teeny snuggle in bed, tucked up next to mum.







strawberry and rhubarb jam recipe
I used unrefined cane sugar, but use which ever sugar you like. Makes 5 small jars.

• 2 heaped cups (300g) strawberries, hulled and chopped in half if large
• 2 cups (230g) rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces 
• 3 1/2 cups (700g) raw sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lemon 

Pop a plate into the fridge for testing later. Place the fruit, sugar, zest and juice into a medium preserving pot. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Cook rapidly, stirring often to prevent sticking. After 10 minutes start testing jam for setting. To do this, remove plate from the fridge, drop a teaspoonful of jam onto it. Run your finger through the centre of the jam. If the trail remains in the jam your jam will set on cooling. If it runs into the centre and forms one blob again, return to the heat and cook for a further few minutes before testing again. Once setting point has been reached remove the pot from the heat, skim any foam off the top (or if you eat butter you can add a little knob of this to the jam, mix it in to help break up the foam) and set aside for 5-10 minutes. This ensures the fruit is evenly dispersed through the jam and doesn't all float to the top. Pour into sterilised jars *, screw on the lids and set aside to cool. Store jam in a cool dark place and refrigerate once opened.

* To sterilise jars, clean them in hot soapy water, rinse and heat in 120 C/248 F for 30 minutes. Stand lids in boiling water for 5 minutes to sterilise