We all seem to have certain things that we tend to avoid doing systematically, without a very specific reason, just because we imagine them to be extremely difficult and probably feel like we don’t have the necessary skills. But just because something is still unknown to us, doesn’t mean it’s unachievable. You’ll never know until you try, right?

There are certain unwholesome and harmful foods that I’ve been trying to keep away from for years now, and sugar is definitely one of them. Since I’ve never been a huge fan of desserts, cutting down on sugar or replacing it with a healthier ingredient wasn’t too difficult for me and as a mum, I wanted my daughter to take the same attitude. I strongly believed that our kids should stay away from poor eating habits that put their health at risk. At the same time, it’s important to keep a balance; desserts have always been and will continue to be around us, all we need to do is set limits and be a bit extra cautious when it comes to our sugar consumption.

That being said, I have to admit I would very easily ruin a recipe by reducing the quantity of sugar or even removing it completely. Every time I’d see a recipe for the perfect cake that requires 300 grams of sugar, I’d be close to having a panic attack. It was a big NO! Same thing with jams. Most jams are made with 1kg of fruit to 1kg of sugar and that was never going to happen in my kitchen! Besides being unhealthy, I also found them too sweet for my liking. Spoon sweets and syrup-soaked desserts would never even cross my mind!

I’m still in awe of Cenk Sönmezsoy’s book, “The Artful Baker”, and it’s definitely the one place I turn to for my daily dose of inspiration, which, to be honest, is much needed lately. Since I still have a few apricots from our trees, I thought I’d make an apricot jam that I usually make every year around this time and everyone seems to love. Only this time, I reduced the sugar to half and replaced it with my own homemade green apple pectin stock!

This is exactly what I meant when I said, “you’ll never know until you try”! I was always under the impression that making pectin stock is hard, a well-hidden secret that requires a high level of craftsmanship.

Couldn’t be further from the truth. You’ll just need a few  apples, water and the right mood. As simple as that. Easy to make but deeply satisfying, as the end result makes you feel like you created something very useful and special.

By using pectin stock, you’ll be able to cut down on the quantity of granulated sugar in your jam to half without affecting its sweetness. Your jam will remain just as sweet but richer and more fruity in flavour.