Today was a bit of a revelatory cooking experience. I set out to make apricot jam, because my mother always made apricot jam and I love it. I can eat any jam by the spoonful, but I think apricot jam must be the hardest one to stop eating by the spoonful. I just assumed I would use one part sugar to one part apricots, but I did some research and came across a wonderful recipe for French Apricot Jam on the Guardian website. This recipe uses a lot less sugar, as well as a vanilla pod. I was sceptical at first but after trying it I am wholly converted. I've now got jars of light orange jam flecked with vanilla seeds and I couldn't be more satisfied.

Here is the recipe:

1.5 kg fresh apricots

800 grams sugar

1 vanilla pod

Juice of one lemon

I stoned the apricots - letting Eleanor and Verity help me. Eleanor didn't like it because her hands got all sticky, but Verity didn't seem to mind. I put the apricots in the pan with 320 mls of water, the lemon juice, and the vanilla pod cut into four pieces. I let it simmer to soften up the fruit, and it was then that I put my head over the pan, took a breath, and was suddenly back in my mother's kitchen. My mother canned apricots, made apricot pie, apricot crisp, and apricot jam. I don't know if any smell can remind me of her more than the smell of cooking apricots. The vanilla pod added something to it, though - my mother's kitchen, but with a stylish edge.

I let it simmer, and then sit for a while, to let the flavors meld. I then added the sugar - using about 100 grams more than the recipe stated, plus 8 grams of pectin, and cooked it into jam. The result was the most elegant conserve ever known to man.