It's a good year for blackberries this year, so we decided to make some jam yesterday. Problem no. 1: the kitchen scales decided to stop weighing things, and problem no. 2: the jam thermometer seems to be resigned to stopping before the jam reaches the setting point. Problem no. 3: problem 2 didn't occur to us until we started to realise the fruit had been cooking for a considerable length of time.

Blackberry sauce, anyone?