Most chefs have shared their personal take on the basics, and for Mary Berry, that includes a range of classic bakes like chocolate cake, , and . The latter isn't complete without a layer of strawberry jam to help sandwich the two cakes together. While strawberry jam is easy to get out of a jar, making it from scratch is a breeze with the right .

Mary Berry's recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and yields an impressive four jars of fruity jam. In her BBC series 'Mary Berry Cooks,' the chef noted that "there's nothing quite like homemade jam" and shared her top tips for making it with ease. The first is to ensure the strawberries aren't too ripe, or you won't get a good set. Mary notes, "It's best to have them slightly underripe."

Cooking fruit and sugar down to the right consistency is surprisingly easy. One of the most important things to remember when making jam from scratch is to sterilise the glass jars.

You can do this by running them through the dishwasher and potting the jam while the jars are still warm.

Alternatively, wash the jars with hot, soapy water and rinse well. Then, dry them in an oven at 100C for 15 minutes or so until completely dry.

Don't forget to sterilise the lids. Add them to a pot of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes before leaving them to air dry.

Ingredients

1kg/2lb 4oz fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and dried

One lemon, juice only

1kg/2lb 4oz jam sugar

First, prepare the strawberries. Wash them well, and if any of them are too large, cut them in half. Mary notes that larger berries won't sit well on a small scone.

Place the drained strawberries and lemon juice into a large pan and heat for a few minutes to soften. Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Mary notes that it's important to use jam sugar, as it has added pectin to help the jam set.

When the liquid is clear and the sugar has dissolved, boil the contents of the pan steadily for about six minutes, or until the jam is at setting point. To test if the jam is at its setting point, spoon a little onto a cold plate and place it in the fridge.

Leave for two minutes, and then push the jam with your finger - this is called a ripple test. If the jam crinkles and separates without flooding back, the setting point has been reached.

Set the pot of jam aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to ensure the jam sets with an even distribution of fruit. When cooled, spoon into sterilised jars, label and seal with wax paper and a lid. The jam will keep for a year unopened in the cupboard, but you should store it in the fridge once opened.