A recipe for vitamin C rich rose hip syrup

*Rose hips are ripe and ready to pick when they are red and soft to touch but not shrivelled. Most people believe they taste best after the first frost of the year.

To make

First wash the freshly picked rose hips thoroughly and then chop them roughly into halves or pieces. Next place them in a saucepan with 600ml of water. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce the temperature to a simmer. Stir, and then continue to simmer and stir the mixture for 15 minutes.

Now strain the mixture through a sieve or muslin cloth. Rose hips contain tiny hairs which can irritate our skin, so it’s important to strain the mixture properly a few times to make sure all the hairs have been removed.

Return to the heat, simmer, and add the sugar. Stir and then continue to simmer and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved completely. Then heat gently for a further 5-20 minutes until the mixture is as thick and syrupy as you like it. Then pour your syrup into a sterilised bottle or jam jar.

You can sterilise old jam jars and bottles by rinsing them out well with soapy water then filling them with boiling water for 5 minutes or by placing them in a warm oven for a few minutes. (Caution this will make the glass really hot, so use oven gloves and handle with care.)

Place the lid on the jars or bottles whilst still hot and leave to cool completely. You can keep the syrup in a sterilised bottle (or jar) in the fridge for a week or two. Or freeze it in a plastic container to keep it for longer.

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