With greengages I put them in a muslin bag and use a broken in half wooden kebab stick to hold it under the liquid. This prevents them darkening which is caused by contact with the air.

Keep the greengages totally submerged. I find that helps.

Hey Carol, I don’t remove the stones, just give them a wash, stab them lots with a fork and plop em in.

Hey Barbara, It’s not something I have ever paid much notice to if I am honest. I’ve probably always left a gap – they turn out the same each time though.

Hi Trudi – yes you can. Juniper forms the very core of a Gin’s flavour, so you’re already loaded. The cardamom pods are a gentle touch to inject a little extra seasoning, but gin is laced with herbs and spices. This recipe is so plum heavy, your gin won’t suffer in the slightest without either. Have fun. W

Hi Louise – this could be possible if the sterilisation process didn’t go well or the fruit itself wasn’t in good shape. If you made the jam from the same batch, that might also start to go off. If it was the sterilisation process, the jam jar may be affected in the same way. I would say, floating plums doesn’t sound ideal. For me, the gin deepens in colour so much that you can barely make out the plums. However, when it comes to tasting it for the first time, there is always some trepidation that bacteria have had the run of things and everything has gone off. Might as well stick with it for the three months – either way, nothing you can do now. Always time to get a new batch in for Christmas if you’re concerned. Good luck.