I hate seeds in jams so I always make the jelly type by gently cooking fruit then straining through muslin.
I am happy with the taste and I like a fairly soft set, I think I am adopting the same method every time - however on some occasions when I move the jar around the contents are sort of set in a blob and moves from the side of the jar- it does stay altogether as it were ie not runny, and although it sometimes looks as if there is some liquid between the jar and the jelly there doesn't seem to be -
Sorry does any of this description make sense to anyone, if so would welcome your comments.
yer i get the same thing i think its due to it just needing that wee bit longer boiling before going into the jars. i find that if left too long that it tends to break down a wee bit in the jar but its still fine to eat and tastes fine. a friend made me some jelly last year that was set solid and she did this by using more sugar that needed but it was too sweet. Someone will come a long in a wee while and post how we get it right ;)
I tend to cheat and use pectin.
If you want a harder set, you have to make sure there is enough pectin in your strained juice, before you add sugar.
You can test for pectin like this: Take a teaspoonful of the juice, and put into an eggcup or small container. Remove from the cooking area. Allow to cool. Add a teaspoonful of methylated spirits. Do not stir. Wait 20 seconds, then tip out onto an old plate. If the juice has formed a blob of jelly that stands proud, you have enough pectin to set. When you tip the plate from side to side you will see how sturdy the blob is. If the juice is flat, runny and spreads, there isn't enough pectin to set it. Do not add this to your main jam/jelly, discard it.
Boil up the main juice some more to reduce the water content. If the juice was strained from fruit that is difficult to set, you may want to add the juice of a fresh lemon before you start. Boil the juice with the lemon juice for a while beefore you add the sugar.
Sugar varies from fruit to fruit, so a rough guide is to weigh your juice, and then add an equal weight of sugar. By the time you've brought it up to the boil and then adjust the heat down to keep it on an even boil for 5 to 10 minutes, the sugar content should be about right.
When you take a cold ladle, put a little jelly in it and gently let it fall back into the pan, the liquid should be jellifying as you pour.
Thanks for all your tips, I am making redcurrent jelly at this very moment so will put some of them into action straight away