Why choose artisan jam, marmalade and chutney?
We do like a bit of preserves in England, don’t we? Jam and marmalade are popular for breakfast. And despite being Indian in origin (hence mango chutney), we also tend to love our chutneys for a vegan Ploughman’s. Piccalilli is similar, made with cauliflower, runner beans, garlic and mustard powder.
Choose seedless preserves for children, swallowing difficulties or teeth problems. Check medication before consuming grapefruit or rhubarb.
Always rinse jars and lids before recycling, to avoid tempting bees and ants into recycling bins.
Unless you are part of the Women’s Institute (!) it’s unlikely you make your own. So at least support local artisans by choosing brands at farmers’ markets or independent health shops.
Here are good reasons to choose artisan preserves. A couple of brands even make preserves from food waste, which is always good.
If you do make your own preserves, do it right. It’s quite a food safety issue, as you have to sterilise the jars etc, to avoid food poisoning.
Traditional taste
Artisans tend to use real ingredients using time-honoured recipes from relatives. So you get what you pay for, in the form of better taste.
Quality ingredients
Local artisans will make use of real (often organic) ingredients. Some may even come from the maker’s garden. These taste homemade and are full of flavour.
Small-batch production
Because each batch is made by hand, each one tastes different. And often there are are limited seasonal editions, if there is a particular glut of certain fruits or vegetables that year.
Made with care
We all know that if something foodie is made with love (and not just for profit), it tastes better!
A taste of tradition
We all hear about supporting old traditions. But yet often the same people in politics that ask us to do this, are also encouraging us to shop at big supemarkets (or Amazon for books).
In fact, one of the best ways to support local traditions is just that – go local, go small!
Good artisan preserve brands
Fruits of the Forage (Cheshire) makes preserves from food waste, taken from local gardens (with permission!), hedgerows or farmers’ fields, otherwise the produce would just rot. The range includes:
- Damson sloe chutney (hedgerow fruits, good with vegan cheese).
- Heritage pear chutney (wild apples and heritage cooking pears)
- Cider onion chutney (Herefordshire cider, sweet onions, Bramley apples)
- Quince Preserve (try with vegan cheese on toast)
- Dandelion flower syrup (good for dressings and baking)
This brand also offers various jams. A few of note include:
- Yellow egg plum jam (with wild plums from Vale of Evesham)
- Rhubarb chilli jam (cooking apples and foraged wild garlic)
- Victoria plum jam (caramel sweetness)
- Hedgerow harvest jam (damson, plum, apple, elderberry, blackberry)
A wise bear always keeps a marmalade sandwich in his hat, in case of emergency. Paddington Bear
Syrups, cordial and liqueurs
- Winter warmer cordial (no-alcohol mulled wine with damson, plus and apple). Good hot with a dram of brandy, or to spice chilled sparkling wine)
- Raspberry & Sweet Cecily liqueur (raspberries, mint, Peak District herbs)
- Damson brown sauce (ideal with chips or a vegan BLT)
The Wonky Food Co makes delicious relishes, all made from fruits and vegetables that have been discarded by supermarkets and sometimes farmers, and would otherwise end up on landfills.
- Sweet tomato relish (for veggie burgers or sandwiches)
- Chilli tomato (nice with vegan cheese, pasta or as a marinade)
- Zesty lime (nice to add to curry recipes)
- Tangy onion (for vegan gravy and stew recipes)
‘Wonky carrots’ are just as good as any other carrots. And so paying farmers less for ‘less than perfect harvests’ is not helping the planet or farmers.
