BUSINESS
‘ tis the season to eat jelly
Sussex-based company, Game On, produce delicious seasonal condiments for game, cheese and meat. Having won no less than two Great Taste Awards, despite having been in business for less than a year, quite rightly, they’ re in a celebratory mood. Pitted against thousands of other UK products, both their‘ Orange Jelly with Chilli & Cardamom’, and‘ Red Wine Jelly with Thyme & Juniper Berry’ won awards following a blind tasting run by the prestigious Guild of Fine Food. Based in a leafy Balcombe kitchen, Game On is the brainchild of entrepreneur and selfconfessed foodie, Michelle Record; Polly Humphris had a chat with her to find out more.
Hi Michelle. What inspired you to start making condiments and why? The abundance of game from the Balcombe Estate, Sussex and a bumper crop of crabapples! After the crabapple season ended I started to experiment with other flavour combinations that I thought would work well with game as it moved through the seasons. My Orange Jelly with Chilli & Cardamom, and Red Wine Jelly with Thyme & Juniper were inspired by different types of game sausages. It turns out that both jellies are versatile- the orange jelly going beautifully with cheese as well, and the red wine jelly being used both as a condiment with meat and also to stir into gravies and casseroles.
How on earth have you been able to produce an award-winning jelly from your own kitchen? My jellies are made in small batches to ensure quality and consistency, and my kitchen in many ways is the perfect environment as I work in the heart of the countryside, which inspires me daily.
Were there any flavour combinations in the beginning that just didn’ t work out? I’ m delighted to say that so far so good! I have worked hard to get the balance between sweet and savoury flavour just right, which has been a process of experimentation resulting in my current range – both my orange jelly and my red wine jelly won two-star Great Taste Awards this year, and more recently I’ ve developed a Cider Jelly with Sage( made with a Sussex cider) and a Sussex Ale Jelly.
Does each product go as well with game and meat as it does cheese, or is it about personal taste? I do think a lot of it is about personal taste, but I do make recommendations particularly when I am doing tasting sessions at retailers and fairs; it is wonderful to get customer feedback.
How important is provenance and seasonality to Game On? It is extremely important. My products are inspired by the Sussex countryside and all that it holds, so as far as possible I want to use locally harvested or sourced ingredients. The availability of game is seasonal itself, and I started out in the crabapple season making different varieties of crabapple jelly. I am just starting to harvest the new crop of crabapples for this winter, which is very exciting.
How closely do you work with your suppliers? My ingredients are sourced locally because I want- as far as possible- for my ingredients to be from Sussex and to support the local economy.
How does this, in your opinion, impact the greater environmental picture? I hope by using locally sourced ingredients and by aligning with game- a plentiful and healthy
meat source and the ultimate in free range – that I am supporting not only my local suppliers and economy, but also supporting an industry that is itself sustainable.
What does the future hold for Game On? I am delighted with how my products are being received and enjoyed, and I look forward to watching my business grow and hopefully becoming a brand associated with Sussex that more and more customers want to take home.
Where can we buy your jellies? And what’ s your favourite flavour? At various locations across Sussex: Grape & Grain, The Broadway, Haywards Heath; Cloughs, Lindfield; The Larder, Ditching; Balcombe Stores, Balcombe; Wealden Stores, Cuckfield; The Corner House, Cuckfield; Glyn Thomas & Son Butchers, Lindfield; Hampers, The High Street, Hurstpierpoint; The Grange Farm Shop, Crawley Down; Fellows Bakery, Ardingly; and Nick the Butcher, Hartfield.
As for my favourite flavour- now that’ s tricky! I love them all, but with different things. I can tell you though that my 10-year-old daughter’ s favourite is my Orange Chilli & Cardamom Jelly on hot, buttered toast.
01444 811 269 info @ gameonfoods. co. uk www. gameonfoods. co. uk
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