The Artisan Kitchen

01/09/2026

A September spoonful ❤️

One of my favourite things about The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ is that wonderful sharpness beneath the sweetness.

Today it’s going onto warm buttered sourdough, although I’m equally happy eating a spoonful straight from the jar.

Deep, fruity, slightly tart and unmistakably plum.

Made by me at The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucester, with beautiful Gloucestershire grown Blaisdon Red plums.

Sometimes the simplest things really are the best.

BritishPreserves ArtisanPreserves

29/08/2026

There’s something rather special about this time of year ❤️

Late summer means plum season, and for us, that means The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™.

These beautiful little Gloucestershire plums have such a short season, and every year I’m reminded just how lucky I am to work with them. Deep ruby skins, golden-red flesh and that wonderful balance of sweetness and natural sharpness that makes them quite unlike any other plum I preserve.

I’ve been making The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ since 2013, and it remains one of the preserves closest to my heart.

Over the years it has gone on to win some extraordinary recognition including three stars at the Great Taste Awards, 5 Golden Forks and a place in the Great Taste Top 50 Foods but for me, its real magic still begins in exactly the same place: with a rare Gloucestershire fruit, a very short harvest and a preserving pan.

A little piece of our local food heritage, captured while the season lasts. ❤️

The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™
Rare Gloucestershire fruit · Preserved by The Artisan Kitchen since 2013

BritishPreserves ArtisanPreserves PlumSeason PreservingSeason GreatTasteAwards

29/08/2026

Blaisdon Red plums have held a very special place in my kitchen and my heart for more than a decade.

I first made Blaisdon Red Plum Jam commercially in 2013, using this wonderful heritage fruit grown here in Gloucestershire. Since then, The Artisan Kitchen’s Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ has gone on to receive an extraordinary collection of Great Taste and Golden Fork awards.

But this story has always been about far more than awards. It’s about a rare local fruit, the orchards and growers who have cared for it, and preserving a little piece of Gloucestershire’s food heritage for future generations.

I’ve brought its history, provenance and award-winning journey together here, and I’d love you to have a read:

https://theartisankitchen.co.uk/blaisdon-red-plum/

Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™, made by The Artisan Kitchen since 2013. Discover its Gloucestershire history, remarkable flavour and award record.

25/08/2026

Every August, there’s a point when I know the Blaisdon Reds are nearly ready.

They’re not a fruit I can order whenever I like. They arrive once a year, for a very short window, from Gloucestershire orchards where this wonderful old plum still survives.

And when they come into the kitchen, everything else seems to take second place for a while.

I’ve been preserving Blaisdon Red plums at The Artisan Kitchen since 2013 and they are still one of the fruits I look forward to most. Their colour is extraordinary, but it’s the flavour that really makes them special. Rich, sharp, deeply plummy and absolutely made for preserving.

There’s something I love about the rhythm of making a preserve like this. Waiting for the fruit. Watching the season. Knowing there is only one chance each year to get it right.

So this is the 2026 harvest, cooked in small batches here in Gloucester and now becoming this year’s The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ .

A little piece of Gloucestershire, preserved in a jar.

The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam ™· 2026 Harvest
Preserved by The Artisan Kitchen since 2013
https://theartisankitchen.co.uk/blaisdon-red-plum/

08/08/2026

💚 A little taste of Gloucestershire’s orchard heritage…

Our Greengage Jam is made with beautiful, hand-picked greengages, organically grown in an ancient Gloucestershire orchard steeped in history.

Just two ingredients: greengages and sugar. Nothing unnecessary, because fruit this special deserves to speak for itself.

Slowly handcrafted in small batches, it has that unmistakable greengage flavour: delicately sweet, gently fragrant and wonderfully fruity, with a soft, luscious set.

A fleeting taste of late summer, captured in a jar. 🌿

Perfect generously spooned onto warm buttered toast, freshly baked scones or served alongside a creamy cheese.

🫙 Available now in limited quantities.

07/08/2026

Well… this was a rather wonderful surprise. 🍊✨

I noticed orders arriving through The Times and wondered what on earth had happened. Then I discovered that our Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters had been selected as one of The Times’ 48 tastiest foods of 2026.

The article was written by Great Taste judge Giulia Crouch, who chose her personal favourites from this year’s exceptional three-star winners. Guild of Fine Food

She described our marmalade as having “a hint of an Aperol spritz” and praised its “sophisticated Mediterranean twist.”

Made with Valencia oranges, pink grapefruit, lemons and limes, then finished with Italian orange bitters, this is sunshine in a jar: vibrant, bittersweet and unmistakably grown-up.

To have one of my preserves chosen from so many extraordinary Great Taste winners—and featured so beautifully in The Times—is an incredibly proud moment for this tiny Gloucestershire kitchen.

Thank you to everyone who has already found us through the article and placed an order. I now know where you’ve all come from! 🧡

Summer Citrus Marmalade with Italian Orange Bitters
⭐ Great Taste 3 Stars 2026
🏆 One of The Times’ 48 tastiest foods of 2026

Available now from the website.

31/07/2026

A Golden Fork nomination… I’m honestly a little overwhelmed. ✨

I’m incredibly proud to share that my Seville Orange & Bergamot Marmalade has been nominated for the Great Taste Golden Fork from England 2026.

This year, 15,038 products were entered by more than 3,917 companies across 116 countries. From all of those entries, just 33 products have been selected as Golden Fork nominees worldwide.

And my marmalade is one of only three products nominated for the Golden Fork from England.

Seeing that little jar beside the beautiful Eggleston from Primrose Creamery and The Norfolk PX from The English Wh**ky Co. feels quite extraordinary.

The Artisan Kitchen is still a very small business. Every jar is made by me, in small batches, using the same careful methods I have followed since I began in 2011. There is no large production team behind the scenes. Just a lot of fruit, copper pans, long days, endless tasting and a slightly obsessive determination to make each batch the very best it can be.

This marmalade began with two remarkable fruits: organic Seville oranges and fragrant Calabrian bergamots. I wanted to create something that held onto the deep bitterness of a traditional Seville marmalade, while allowing the beautiful floral character of bergamot to shine through.

To have that work recognised at this level is something I will never take for granted.

The Golden Forks are often described as “the Oscars of the food world”, and the winners will be announced at the ceremony at Battersea Arts Centre on Tuesday 15 September.

Whatever happens on the night, being chosen as one of the final 33 from more than 15,000 entries already feels like a very special moment in The Artisan Kitchen’s story.

Thank you so much to everyone who buys my preserves, recommends them, sends kind messages, leaves reviews and continues to support this tiny business. Every order genuinely helps me keep doing what I love.

From my little kitchen in Gloucestershire to a Golden Fork nomination. Quite a journey for one small jar of marmalade. 🧡🍊✨

Guild of Fine Food

29/07/2026