At the beginning of the summer, I picked fresh raspberries from our neighbour’s garden and decided to make raspberry chia jam – now a new staple condiment in my fridge. A few months on and summer has become autumn. Blackberries are now in season and I am flat-to-the-mat making blackberry chia jam.

I originally shared this recipe on Instagram where I was asked the question –

Can I leave out the raspberry jam to make it sugar-free? 

Yes, you can leave out the raspberry jam. However, if you want a sugar-free jam you’ll need to omit the honey too. This will result in a very tart jam, which some people may love and some people may hate.

I have a well-respected Bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition from University College Dublin. I do not care for scaremongering, sensational headlines or fad-diets. The idea of a “sugar-free” diet that includes honey, maple syrup and all other “natural” syrups makes me laugh. Sugar from honey is metabolised the same way as table sugar, the same way as ice cream syrup, the same way as agave syrup. Just because the packaging is pretty and the description says “natural” does not mean it is healthier than the humble bag of table sugar that our parents and grandparents grew up with.

My version of a chia jam is always quite thick because that’s how I like my jam. If you’d prefer a runnier jam, use less chia seeds. The brand of chia seeds that I use are Chia Bia – an Irish brand based in Waterford.

Hope you enjoy!

Amy x

Ingredients
250g blackberries, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp raspberry jam
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
45g chia seeds

Method
Place the blackberries in a saucepan with the raspberry jam and simmer for 5 minutes, breaking up the berries with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add in the honey, vanilla and chia seeds and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a sterilised jar to cool and thicken. Store in the fridge for 2 weeks or freeze until required.