apples and cheese

1.7 litres dry cider 

1 small stick of cinnamon
2.7kg cooking apples, unpeeled
Sunflower oil
Granulated sugar

Put the cider and cinnamon into a large noncorrosive saucepan and boil vigorously until reduced by a third. Wash the apples and cut out any bruises. Roughly chop them – pips, skin, core and all – and tip into the cider. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the apples turn to mush. Remove the cinnamon.

Lightly oil 3 wide, sterilised 285ml containers and set aside. Push the apple pulp through a fine sieve and measure the resulting purée. Allow 340g sugar for every 500ml purée. Place the purée and the sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Then cover your arms to protect against spitting and increase the heat. As soon as the mixture boils, stir continuously for 25 minutes, or until it is so thick it leaves a clean line when a spoon is drawn across the bottom of the pan. Spoon the purée into the containers and cover with waxed paper, wax side down. Seal once cold and then store.