​Five unusual and incredibly easy recipes to make in Kilner jars

Looking for something a little more fun or dare we say it... exciting to make in a Kilner jar? Yes, we know that layered salads and granola parfait breakfasts are superb for these glassware classics, but it's also the summer holidays and perhaps time to be a little more frivolous! With that in mind, here are some of our favourite ideas that we've rounded up for your experimentation!

1. White chocolate and pistachio butter

The diet can wait until September - this is a truly delectable treat and it also makes a wonderful gift, so why not whip up a batch to share with loved ones? It couldn't be easier to make either! Simply place 300g of shelled and unsalted pistachios into a high-powered blender or food processor with 200g melted white chocolate, 4 tbsp of melted coconut oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of almond extract. Blend until the ingredients are smooth to your taste and then serve the butter in a sterilised clip-top Kilner jar - the 0.5-litre size is ideal. This delicious treat will keep for a month in the fridge and it's perfect on toast or used as a cake frosting.

2. No cook chia and blueberry jam

Love the taste of jam on your breakfast croissant but can't muster the enthusiasm to cook? No problem. This jam is super easy to make and also incredibly healthy as it doesn't use any sugar. Simply blend 400g of blueberries and add the juice and zest of a lemon. Place 30g chia seeds in a large bowl and mix in the fruit puree before adding stevia to taste. Cover the mixture and place it in the fridge for three hours so that the chia seeds expand and give the puree a thicker consistency. Pulse the mix briefly in a blender until it becomes smooth and jam-like, and then place the resulting mix in a half-litre clip-top Kilner jar that has been sterilised. You'll need to use this jam within a few days if you store it in the fridge, but you shouldn't find it hard to finish!

3. Rocket-hot chilli sauce

OK, it's time to bring some spice into the equation, because glass jars are also perfect for storing your savoury sauces - especially this one which was born to adorn your BBQ offerings. Again, it's incredibly easy to make and fun too - and you can adjust the ingredients depending on how brave you feel! The real punch from this sauce comes from the garlic and, again, it makes a great gift. Place ten dried chillis into 100ml of hot water to soak and after an hour, pour the mix into a blender jug with 10 fresh chopped chillis, seven fat and peeled garlic cloves, the juice from a lemon, 70g of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Add 250ml of water and blend the mix to a smooth puree. To thicken it slightly, whisk in 2 tsp of cornflour that you've mixed with a spoon of cold water. The hot sauce should then be poured into your sterilised Kilner jar and allowed to cool.

4. Tropical ombre smoothie

Ombre colour effects have been taking the design and beauty world by storm for some time now, so why not take inspiration from this beautiful graduated colour effect with your own summery smoothie? It couldn't be easier and, again, you can adjust your ingredients to taste and experiment with other colours too once you've got the knack of colour pairing. For this one, blend a whole pineapple and a mango with ice cubes and water until you have a beautiful orange smoothie, glowing with colour. Pour it into your Kilner mugs, filling each about halfway. Then blend your second smoothie - 250g of raspberries or strawberries, again with ice, until the mix is smooth. Pour it on top and then swirl the smoothies together with a straw to create a beautiful ombre effect. You could also try kiwi with blueberries, or watermelon with citrus fruits.

5. Luxury film night nuts

In a large bowl, combine 150g each of walnuts, pistachios, pecans, almonds, macadamias and a handful of pumpkin seeds. Use buttered greaseproof paper to line a large baking tray and then melt 50g of butter in a frying pan. Add 100g of honey and 30g of sugar, and add half of the nuts to the mix, stirring them to coat. Pour this mix onto the lined tin and roast it for ten minutes in the oven at 160c. Whilst the nuts roast, melt 50g butter into a large pan, add the remaining nuts and toss in a tsp each of ground coriander and chilli. Let them cool. Allow both sets of nuts to cool completely, and then combine the two flavours into Kilner jars, ready to enjoy at snack time!

You'll find a wide range of preserving jars at the Wares of Knutsford website, but Rayware produces a large range of Kilners in all sizes - we also stock Kilner jar spares!