• 1.75 kg/4 lb fresh peaches
• 900 g/2 lb granulated sugar
• 6 dl/1 pint distilled malt vinegar
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons whole allspice
• 3 sucks cinnamon, each about 5 cm/2 in long
• 1 piece root ginger

Dip the peaches, a few at a time, into a pan of boiling water. Leave for about 30 seconds, then lift out with a perforated spoon and place immediately in a bowl of cold water. Peel away the skins, halve the fruit and remove the stones.

Measure the sugar and vinegar into a large saucepan and add the crushed cloves and allspice, the sticks of cinnamon and bruised ginger loosely tied in a muslin bag. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring up to the boil. Add the peaches to the spiced, sweetened vinegar and simmer gently until the fruit is tender. Drain the fruit from the liquid and remove the bag of spices.

Replace the saucepan of vinegar over the heat and boil quickly until reduced to a thin, honey-like syrup. Meanwhile pack the peaches neatly into clean warm jars. Draw the boiling syrup off the heat and fill each jar with enough syrup to cover the fruit. Cover with a plastic top, or with a circle of greaseproof paper and then a square of cotton dipped in melted paraffin wax. Label and store for several months before using.