The kitchen this started in
Sarah Gunter started making preserves at home, the way her family always had — in season, in small batches, using recipes handed down from her mother and both sets of grandparents, and no doubt from further back than that. The early jars went to friends. The friends asked for more. One suggested she should sell them — which got her thinking, and a few months later a small farmers'-market stall with just twelve flavours followed. The little kitchen had to be rebuilt around it: a big range cooker, a large fridge, more cupboards. The spare bedroom became the stock room.
Why food intolerances come first
Sarah has a cow’s-milk allergy and several food intolerances — so no cow’s butter, in anything. That sounds simple until you try to make a curd, which usually leans on butter for its silky finish. Tregunter’s curds are adapted: made with goat’s butter instead, so they’re cow’s-milk-free and lactose-free, and most people don’t notice until they’re told or ask why. Many of the other preserves are quietly adapted the same way.
Picking, not buying
Wherever the fruit and veg can be grown or picked rather than ordered, it is. Blackcurrants and beetroot from the gardens, the rest gathered close to home and in season. The flavour follows the calendar. If you want last year's strawberry jam in November, we've probably run out.
Markets first
Most of the people who buy Tregunter at home tasted it at a market first. Markets are where you get to talk to the person who made the jam, ask what's in it, and decide whether it deserves a place on your toast or with your cheese. That's where we'd rather meet you.
What’s next
You can order the full range right here, and you'll find Tregunter at a growing list of independent shops and markets too. If there's a flavour you'd love to see, or you'd like a gift pack or basket made up, just get in touch — we read every message.
Read the range and pick what looks good.
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