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
113