Put the apple and cucumber into a large pot with a thick bottom. This is a fairly large portion for a home preserve session, so a decent preserve making pot is a good idea. My one is a Lakeland special and is one of my favourite kitchen pots.

Put the heat on and slowly let the fruit and veg break down a little, just enough to soften it. If you need to, add a tablespoon of water at a time, but be sure to bubble it off before you add the sugar.

Add the sugar and pectin, along with the butter, and bring to a slow boil. This is when I take my hand mixer and whizz the mix, to smooth it out. Be very careful if you do this, as you're dealing with boiling sugar and it's very easy to spray yourself. I have managed to spark myself with boiling sugar and it's very painful indeed. Take extra care if you do.

Let it rapid boil until your jam reaches the setting point, when the jam wrinkles slightly when you put a drop onto a chilled plate.

Jar the mixture into sterilised jars, then simply enjoy whenever you need it.