Pam Corbin: The fun, modern take on making your own preserves - Episode 280

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends
Pam Corbin: The fun, modern take on making your own preserves - Episode 280
Jun 25, 2026 Episode 280
Sarah Raven

What Pam Corbin doesn’t know about preserves, isn’t worth knowing. She’s an oracle on all things jam - hence her apt nickname, ‘Pam the Jam’.

For the home cook, and for those with a kitchen garden worthy of capturing its fruity goodness, this week’s episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Pam is a perfect entry point to creating your own jams.

She and Sarah share the secrets behind turning seasonal fruit and veg into beautiful jars of low‑sugar jams, compotes and chutneys that actually taste of the fruit, not just the sugar!

In this episode, discover:

  • How Pam moved from a tiny jam business in a converted pig unit to writing modern classics on preserves
  • Why traditional jam recipes were so heavy on sugar, and how to safely make lower‑sugar, soft‑set jams today
  • Practical, step‑by‑step tips for tricky fruits like strawberries and raspberries – including staging your jam, managing foam, and avoiding overcooked, rock‑hard results
  • Simple ways to make more than just jam from your harvest, from apricot compotes and bottled cherries to clever uses for rhubarb, courgettes and runner beans
  • How to choose and use basic preserving kit so you can confidently turn garden gluts into jars on your shelf

Order ‘Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves’:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pam-Jam-Book-Preserves-Corbin/dp/1408884496

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Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

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