The raspberry, the first soft fruit of summer, deserves a transformation other than mere jam.

A raspberry vinegar perfectly captures late summer’s giddy sweetness.
Initially used to combat coughs, colds and even flatulence, raspberry vinegar is now a useful cupboard standby for splashing into soups, drizzled over savoury tarts, and – particularly in France – added to meat and red wine sauces for extra piquancy.
A few spoonfuls into a glass of champagne or cava makes for a refreshing aperitif.

Ingredients
500g raspberries
400g sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
150ml cider vinegar
Lemon juice

Soak the raspberries in the mixture of white wine vinegar and cider vinegar for two to three days. Then overnight, strain this mixture in a muslin cloth or a fine sieve. Add the sugar to the resulting liquid. Heat gently for about five minutes until the sugar dissolves. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and cool. Pour into long, thin sterilised bottles and seal.

Ken Doherty is a chef and journalist. Visit his blog at assassinationcustard.blogspot.com