Sugar Free Fruity Jellies for the whole family

I refuse to believe that summer will not arrive.  In the meantime, I'm sticking my head in the sand and cooking summery foods with the hope I will soon feel more positive about the whole thing.

Before I had my son, I occasionally used to make a jelly recipe with prosecco and fruit.  Obviously the wine is off the menu for him but it got me thinking, why not make something similar with fruit juice?  A word of warning.  My son initially thought this was very odd.  In fact, his response was very similar to Gareth from the office.

Anyway, once he'd got past being freaked out by the fact there were THINGS in his jelly and that NORMALLY DOESN'T HAPPEN!  He then tasted it.  Before we knew it, the jelly was all gone.

Fruity Jellies - serves 4 babies, toddlers or adults

Ingredients

400 ml, 13.5 fl.oz White Grape Juice
Assorted berries of your choice (I used strawberries and raspberries hulled and washed)
4 sheets of leaf gelatine (or enough to set around 560ml or 1 pint of liquid as strengths vary)
Oil (optional)

Method

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 mins.  In the meantime, heat 100ml of the juice in a microwave for about 90 seconds or until boiling.  Put the soaked, floppy gelatine sheets into the hot juice and stir until dissolved.

Top up the juice and gelatine mix to 400ml with the rest of the juice.

Chose the dishes you'd like to use, if you're intending to turn them out, brush them with a mild, flavourless oil, this will help them turn out later.  Put in some berries and then pour in the jelly.

Cover and put into the fridge to set until firm.  This took about 4 hours for me.  Either serve in the dish or turn out onto a plate.  To make turning out easier, put some boiling water into a bowl and then dip the dish into it (don't submerge).  Only hold it in the hot water for a couple of seconds, this will melt the outer layer and make it easier to serve.

Serve with cream if liked.  Mummy, Daddy and Son (eventually) all proclaimed these a hit!

I've chosen quite a firm set to these jellies to enable them to be turned out but if you want it softer, just add a bit more juice.  When I asked my very grumpy terrible two year old if he liked his tea it had enthusiastic nods and smiles. Joy!  All worth it!

Update:  Son had another portion the next day and loved it.  Worth trying something new.