Rosebud Preserves (19th October 2013) – the view the Rosebud team look out onto daily

Frost Magazine received news of Rosebud Preserves delights – for you to send this Christmas, or keep. That’s the problem you see, one has to dig deep to find one’s generous self and actually give them to others rather than pop them into the pantry for yourself.

In fact, so delighted has the Frost Magazine team been as they’ve tested Rosebud Preserves’ quality products over the last few years, our editor, Margaret Graham, decided to nip across to Masham, North Yorkshire to meet Elspeth Biltoft owner of Rosebud Preserves,and her team..

Oh, and what a delight it was:

Elspeth at Rosebud Preserves

Margaret and Elspeth talked of many things :  sea and ships and sailing wax …until finally Margaret heard about the new Bramley Apple and Cider Sauce (£4.95/170g) and glorious it is too, prepared as it is with English Bramley, sweet Braeburn and a measure of Ampleforth Abbey Cider. The perfect accompaniment to Roast Pork.

(Apples 76% (Bramley & Braeburn), Ampleforth Abbey Cider 5%, unrefined cane sugar, fresh lemon juice.)

Elspeth explained, “This Bramley Apple & Cider Sauce is our interpretation of a very simple and popular accompaniment for roast meat, in particular pork or ham. It is made in collaboration with our Yorkshire neighbours, Ampleforth Abbey to the simplest of recipes, it contains generous quantities of freshly prepared Bramley and Braeburn apples to create a beautifully balanced, naturally sweet yet sharp sauce, enhanced with a generous measure of the Abbey’s Premium Cider. Carefully cooked to preserve its fruity freshness, every mouthful releases a pop of flavour, in huge contrast to the blandness of commercial Apple Sauce.

‘The monks of Ampleforth Abbey have grown fruit in their monastery orchard for over 200 years and this cider is made from a blend of cooking and eating apples, which are pressed in the Ampleforth cider mill and the juice is stored in large vats where it is fermented and matured for eight months.” 

Altogether, totally scrummy.  Scrummy brings us on to  Greengage Fruit Cheese (£5.50/113g)  a sweet complement for the festive cheeseboard.

Full of honey sweet flavour. Really truly deeply it is – ( is Margaret going on a bit as she tends to do?) But why not, when it is really superb, especially with Soft Blue Cheese.

Greengages 64%, unrefined cane sugar, water, fresh lemon juice. Prepared with 64g per 100g. Total Sugar content 60g per 100g.

Elspeth got a word in edgeways: “In recent years fruit cheeses have enjoyed a much-deserved revival because the intense fruity flavours work beautifully with their dairy namesakes on our favourite cheeseboards. Following the success of our Three Star Great Taste Award 2021 for Damson Fruit Cheese we have continued the theme with Greengage Fruit Cheese. This time using Cambridge greengages in a conscious decision to create an entirely different flavour profile to the damson.

“Greengages originated in Iran and are prized for their honeyed, confectionary flavour. They are considered to be amongst the finest of dessert plums. We buy our fruit from one orchard in Cambridgeshire. The recipe is deceptively simple, relying on the special characteristics of the plums alone to deliver results. The addition of unrefined cane sugar, and a little fresh lemon juice only, creates a richly flavoured and very unique preserve that works particularly well with soft blue cheeses.

Finally Elspeth mentioned that, “The sale of this product helps to raise awareness of heritage fruit varieties and the importance of preserving and planting traditional British Orchards.” Something that Frost Magazine supports wholeheartedly. 

It’s important to add here that Rosebud Preserves have created a cornucopia of gift packs (to include a variety of preserves), presented simply and with style, and priced reasonably. Ideal for  Christmas gifts – small and large.

Also this year there are  mince pies, and gin, yes gin, but Margaret will talk about these next week, with just as much enthusiasm. Though perhaps best not too much testing where the gin is concerned?!

Margaret left, reluctantly, as there was so much to see, and admire. Perhaps the most notable is that Rosebud Preserves has stayed true to Elspeth’s founding principles, which are to source local produce whenever possible, to cook traditional recipes, and use techniques that preclude the use of additives, preservatives or pectin.

While Margaret was there, Elspeth showed her a huge crate of Quince dropped off by a neighbour. How local is that?

So look out for another review of Rosebud Preserves next week. In the meantime, for a FULL list of products as the  Christmas season approaches go to:

www.rosebudpreserves.co.uk      Twitter @preserves   Facebook Rosebudpreserves