Bottled Apricots

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins
Serves: 4 bottles

INGREDIENTS

• 36 apricots
• thickly-sliced zest of 4 oranges
• 800g caster sugar
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tsp black peppercorns

METHOD

1 Halve the apricots and place into sterilised jars with the orange zest. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and pepper in a saucepan with 2L water and boil rapidly for 45 minutes, until reduced by half. Strain, pour over the apricots, then fit the lids.

2 Place the bottles in a pot of boiling water and simmer for 30 minutes, ensuring the water covers the bottles completely. Remove from the water and allow to cool, then refrigerate.