If I am honest I don’t really like jam, I find it too sweet and on toast first thing in the morning I am more of a Bovril type person. However I live with a weirdo who either only eats toast with butter, or jam. Never both (he wont even butter a sandwich but that is another story). So when The Cornish Jar recently asked me if we would like to try their range of jams and chutneys I asked if we could have more chutneys than jam because, as you know, we love a plate of cheese and biscuits and having some tasty chutney to go with them in the next few weeks felt like a great idea.
The Cornish Jar is the creation of Carly and Ryan, who began making preserves in their own Cornish kitchen. What started as a small home project has grown into a business that still keeps that handmade feel. Everything is cooked in small batches with simple, natural ingredients. There is no sense of mass production here, just jars that taste as though they have been made with real care and the best ingredients.
In the interests of an honest review I tried the blackberry, apple and vanilla jam on toast one morning and let me tell you that since then the entire jar seems to have evaporated. It even made a fabulous lazy topping on a bowl of vanilla ice cream. We took a jar of the Cherry Bakewell jam up to my mother in law when we visited recently and it didnt last the weekend between the four of us. The flavours were all superb with none of that sickly sweetness you sometimes find with jam, or as they say in their own words “blandness”. Just packed with the flavour of fruit and proof that not all jams are created equal.
On to the chutneys and what can I say, other than ‘wow’. The hot garlic chutney struck the perfect balance between sweet and fiery and ended up being used in all sorts of ways: brushed over sausages before roasting, stirred through noodles, and dolloped into a cheese toastie. We couldn’t get enough of it. The caramelised red onion chutney elevated that “this has probably passed its best” lump of cheddar to something feeling quite fancy on last Sunday’s late night cheese board. The chilli jam gave Bruce’s homemade version a run for its money, which is saying something. The pineapple and jalapeño chutney had just the right amount of tang and spice, and I loved it alongside creamy brie. They are all so good I am already planning on ordering more because I can’t imagine not having a plate of cheese with a dollop of chutney on the side.
The range can be ordered directly from The Cornish Jar website, with delivery available across the UK and are all priced at £5.65. You can even buy a gift voucher. The jars would make a thoughtful gift for any food lover, especially if you paired them with items to make a foodie hamper.
Being sent these jars was a real pleasure, and I am so glad to have discovered them. They feel like a taste of Cornwall in each spoonful and that they have been made by people who care. Which is rare and should be applauded.