Switch to Artisan Chutney, Jam & Marmalade

Most towns have shops where you can buy artisan chutney, jam and marmalade, made by locals who know how to cook with real ingredients. You can make your own, but most people don’t (it’s also quite complicated, as you have boil the jars or sterilise them in the dishwasher). Safer and easier to just buy from others!

Choose seedless preserves for children, swallowing difficulties or teeth problems. Check medication before consuming grapefruit or rhubarb. Before using, read our post on food safety for people and pets.

Chutney is very popular in England, though it’s actually from India (the word ‘chaatna’ means ‘to lick’ in Hindi – hence mango chutney. Mostly made with apples, onions and vinegar, it’s good with a vegan cheese sandwich or in a Ploughman’s lunch.

Piccalilli is also good with Ploughman’s, made with cauliflower, runner beans, garlic and mustard powder.

Preserves & Chutneys (made from food waste)

Fruits of the Forage (Cheshire) makes lots of good preserves, all made from food waste, that would otherwise go to landfill. The seasonal ingredients are taken from people’s  gardens (with permission!), hedgerows or farmers’ fields, where they would otherwise rot.

This family firm has also planted 2000 native trees, for the benefit of local wildlife. The range includes:

• Damson and Sloe Chutney (hedgerow fruits, good with vegan cheese).
• Heritage Pear Chutney (wild apples and heritage cooking pears)
• Cider and Onion Chutney (made with Herefordshire cider, sweet onions and Bramley apples)
• Quince Preserve (tastes like apple/pear combined, good with vegan cheese on toast)
• Dandelion Flower Syrup (vegan honey alternative, good for dressings and baking)

Artisan Jams and Marmalades

The range is extensive. A few of note are:

• Yellow Egg Plum Jam (made with wild plums from Vale of Evesham)
• Rhubarb Chilli Jam (with cooking apples and foraged wild garlic)
• Victoria Plum Jam (a hint of 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 (a no-alcohol mulled wine with damson, plus and apple). Good also hot with a dram of brandy, or to spice chilled sparkling wine)
• Raspberry and Sweet Cecily Liqueur (raspberries and mint, with Peak District Sweet Cecily)
• Damson Brown Sauce (ideal with chips or a vegan BLT)

Tasty Relishes (from wonky fruits & vegetables)

The Wonky Food Co makes a small range of delicious relishes, all made from wonky fruits and vegetables, that are discarded by supermarkets and sometimes farmers, and would otherwise end up on landfills.

20 years ago, the founder’s summer job on a New Zealand fruit farm, was to walk under kiwi fruit vines, and throw ‘misshapen fruits’ on the  ground to rot. He never forgot this food waste issue, and now makes three relishes:

• Chilli Tomato (nice with vegan cheese or add to pasta, or use as a marinade)
• Zesty Lime (nice to add to curry recipes)
• Tangy Onion (for vegan gravy and stew recipes)

How to Make Your Own Vegan Jam Tarts

England seems to have gone from a country that would enjoy a good jam tart, to one that spends a fortune in coffee chops on giant American muffins. Why not go back to basics, and learn to make your own jam tarts, far better than plastic-wrapped store-bought versions?

These homemade Jam Tarts (Rainbow Nourishments) are simple to make, simply filling your pastry shells with organic jam. Avoid chia seeds for choking hazards.

Make your own pastry (to avoid palm oil). Keep fresh dough away from young children and pets (can expand in the stomach). Read more on food safety for people and pets.

If you make your own jam, you’ll have to sterilise the jars: 

Put jars, lids and rubber seals on hot dishwasher cycle (fill with hot water, while warm).  Or wash in hot soapy water, and ‘cook’ in pre-heated oven (to 160 degrees C) for 15 minutes (again fill with hot water, while still warm).

The recipe above is super-simple, even a beginner will have success. Use Flora vegan block butter to make your pastry (one of the few brands without palm oil) and ensure it’s very cold before cutting into cubes, adding iced water to the dough, for best results. But don’t add too much water, or you’ll create too much gluten for a chewy result.

Fruits of the Forage makes jam from foraged fruits (from old hedgerows and abandoned orchards in Cheshire). This one’s made with damsons, plums, apples, elderberries and blackberries.

Ideally, choose a high-fruit seedless jam, blackcurrant is a good choice for a traditional jam tart. Or for the classic strawberry or raspberry. Apricot is another good option. Only use around 1 teaspoon of jam per tart, otherwise it will bubble over and end up welding to the tin, for lots of washing-up after!

Serving Ideas for Vegan Jam Tarts

Vegan Jam Crostata (Domestic Gothess)

• Dust cooled tarts with Suma icing sugar for a soft finish.
• Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• Make a big jam tart (like above), serve with vegan custard.

Troubleshooting

• For hot kitchens, chill ingredients 10 minutes beforehand.
• Cool tarts on a rack, to avoid soggy bottoms.
• Leaking jam is often due to warm pastry ingredients.