Foodie writers, more than most scribblers, follow the herd. Right now food fashion says we should all be locked in the kitchen on a Saturday morning making our own marmalade. In the Autumn we are told that jam making is an absolute must. In fact I’m anticipating that any minute a delegation of celeb chefs will cosy up to Michael Gove (now wouldn’t we all love to do that) insisting that he put jam making on the national curriculum.

Home made jam is sometimes rather wonderful, but seriously, does anyone have the time? Even my mother and grandmother, who made just about everything they could, found it more convenient to nip down the Co-op. That said, I’ve been fed some pretty special home made jams and jellies over the past couple of years, the best always making use of less common varieties of fruit to deliver something special, but I’ve tasted just as much home made jam based on near past-it fruit from market stalls – bad idea!

Here are five good everyday preserves and one worth searching out:

Duerr’s Mermelada de Sevilla

Duerr’s, a family firm that remains independent, With range of preserves from which their Mermelada de Sevilla stands out. Generally speaking with preserves the higher the fruit content the better. The more chance that the stuff tastes of fruit rather than being overpowered by sugar. Seville Oranges make the best marmalade but despite the Andalucían sounding name this concoction is produced in Manchester (so much to answer for). Whether or not being made in Manchester enhances the bitterness of the oranges is anyone’s guess but with 50g of fruit per 100g the flavour really comes through.

£1.69, supermarkets

Lemon Cheese (unbranded)
from the Herb Farm at Sonning Common

Since, for some reason best known to themselves, Duerr’s ceased production of their Lemon Cheese I’ve been looking for something that equals it’s combination of ultra sharp citrus and firm set texture of tarte au citron without much luck. I’ve pretty much tried the lot. Lemon curds can taste OK (honourable mention to the Dutchy’s effort), but even the most expensive just don’t cut it. Then one damp Saturday afternoon I stumbled across a plain labelled jar of ‘Lemon Cheese’ – not curd, you see, different – in the shop at the Herb Farm on the B481Peppard Road at Sonning Common. Still second best, but close. I have no idea of the secret but I know it is worth the trip.

£3.30

Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve

On a road trip through France in the 1980s I grabbed breakfast consisting of a baguette and a jar of strawberry jam with a distinctive red gingham lid. It was and is probably the best strawberry jam I had tasted, I hadn’t seen it this side of the Channel and it was also really cheap. Everything that one used to go to France for, in fact! Long since available just about everywhere in the UK it is a perfect example of how to position a brand up market. There’s no co-incidence that the fruit content is 50g per 100g, which is a good enough reason for paying five times the price of some ‘own brands’.

£1.98, supermarkets

Wilkin and Sons Tiptree Gooseberry Conserve

Gooseberries are a much-underrated fruit that makes excellent tart jam, assuming the fruit content is high enough – which at 50g per 100g this is. The Tiptree brand has found its way onto the breakfast tables of hotels major and guesthouses minor in miniature form and, despite a couple of additives, deservedly so. But this jam has another side. It makes an excellent ingredient for a sauce and is particularly special with pan roasted duck breast.

£1.89, supermarkets

Geeta’s Premium Mango Chutney

If one takes a narrow view of fruit preserves, then this doesn’t really qualify, but honestly, what else is mango chutney other than Indian jam? So it contains vinegar, well shoot me! The rest is 55% mangoes, sugar, salt, spices and garlic. So while many mango chutneys have a distinct hint of curry powder, Geeta’s avoids that pitfall. What’s more you can eat it like jam. Try it late at night with peanut butter – assuming you don’t care about the calories.

£1.89, supermarkets