Call me a control freak but I love being able to capture the sweet smell of Summer and put it in a jar on my shelf. Squirrelling things away like this makes me feel calmer and more in control, which at a time like this is no small thing.
It’s nice to know that even in the sunshine, you’re already a little bit prepared for that deep, dark day in Winter, when the only thing that will brighten things up is a gloriously pink jar of sweet, floral goodness
We’ve been making this jelly for years. Here’s Beth circa 2013 with that Summer’s rose collection. 
And here’s Dorothy in 2019, giving the blossoms a smell check before we could use them.
This year our roses aren’t looking their best. They’ve put on plenty of growth but the harsh sunshine seems to have somehow bleached alot of the colour out of the petals and then heavy rain and wind has damaged the flowers that remain.
So the 2023 selection may have a very delicate pastel pallet, but thankfully the taste should be just as intense.
Rose Petal Jelly is a really easy thing to make and it looks so impressive. You can make it as a clear jelly or leave a few petals in each jar. Beth used to say they look like ghost petals 🙂
The flavour will depend on your roses, but generally speaking, rose petal jelly has a sort of turkish delight quality to it. You can use any roses but there are a few rules.
*Clears throat*
The more scented the roses, the better the flavour
The colour of your jelly will reflect the colour of your roses
Avoid roses that have been sprayed with pesticides
Your roses should be fully open but not fading
You will need
Two pints / 1100 ml of tightly packed rose petals. When I weighed them this came to around 120 grams and around 15 roses but this may vary.
400g / 14 oz granulated sugar
100g / 3.5 oz caster sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 pint / 550 ml water
75ml / 2.5 fl oz liquid pectin
Method
- First remove the petals from the roses
- Measure out your rose petals and be sure to discard any that are brown or damaged.
- Try to remove as many bugs as possible!
- If you are going to weigh your petals, do this when they are dry.
- Combine the two types of sugar and water in a large pan.
- Heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved
- Rinse the petals using a colander.
- Add petals to the sugar syrup, cover and allow to cool
It is at this point that you will almost certainly spot a little creepy crawly that you missed. Fish him out – done. Trust me that is surely the only one you missed, apart from that other one you just saw 😂 don’t freak out!!
- Let the petals steep in the syrup for at least 3 hours. You’ll see that the petals lose a lot of their colour straight away.
Now if you’re anything like me, you’ll look at this and think goodness what a horrible thing I’ve created, but everything’s about to be beautiful again, I promise.
- While the petals steep, sterilise your jars by washing in hot water and then drying in the oven.
- Strain the liquid, ideally using a muslin cloth but a very fine seive willwwill just fine.
- Add the lemon juice and watch the colour turn as if by magic, from a pinky tan to a bright blush!
- Return the liquid to the pan and slowly bring to a continuous boil. This isn’t a rolling boil that climbs up the sides of the pan, it’s just a boil that comes straight back when you stir it.
- Boil like this for five minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the pectin.
- If you would like to have petals in your jelly, now is the time to return a few to the pan.
- Stir and return to the same continuous boil for ten minutes.
- Allow to rest for two minutes and then pour into your sterilised jars.
Rose petal jelly is such a glorious colour that it would make a beautiful gift. It tastes amazing in Macarons, jam tarts, Victoria Sponges or even with savoury biscuits and cheese. Try warming a little and stirring it into yoghurt, it is delicious!
Love Rachel
❤️
