Having recently enjoyed unusual Coconut Jam from Buko Organic, I was intrigued to try another new jam product that came our way. My Jam is the creation of Shuiken Chan, a former lawyer turned actress and jam maker. (As you do.)
Shuiken wanted to create a fruit spread with no added sugar for her diabetic mother, so the jams are made with white grape juice and apple juice. And having grown up in a British-Chinese-Filipino household, Shuiken also wanted to use more exotic ingredients familiar from her childhood – goji berries and coconut. Conveniently, these ingredients have been embraced by the public as superfoods. But how would they sit beside other tried-and-tested flavours in the oh-so-British institution of jam?
I was most curious to try the “Sweet Tang Burst” strawberry, goji berry and ginger fruit spread. Big chunks of fruit languished in a runny orange-pink liquid, spotted with goji berries. Not as sweet as regular jams, the focus was all fruit with a pleasing zing from the ginger. No sugar? No problem.
But contrary to my expectations, I enjoyed the rich, dark purple “Hot Blue Jamboree” more than its strawberry blonde predecessor. This was partly down to the texture of this blueberry, coconut and chilli fruit spread, which was firmer and more spreadable. But the chilli also proved an unexpected hit – the slow, sharp burn was very complementary to the blueberry’s sweetness, although I found the coconut undetectable. I’d definitely buy this again.
Overall, the flavours from My Jam make fun additions to your cupboard’s preserve collection and they’re certainly an enjoyable alternative to supermarket offerings. But try them for yourself! My Jam will launch at the Castle Terrace Farmers Market on Saturday July 2nd with a special 20% discount offer.
My Jam