The ProducersPlease find below a list of the artisan producers that we have spoken to regarding stocking their products in our baskets.
Please note that not all the producers are represented in our current range of baskets.
| Clippy's Apples Clippy's Apples is the award winning home of lip-smacking British-apple based jams, jellies & chutneys. The company is owned and run by Michelle (known as Clippy) and Paul her partner has now joined her in the business.
Clippy and Paul are a lovely couple and I spent a very pleasant morning sipping coffee, in a local hotel, discussing all things food with them. They are both dedicated to the preservation of British apple heritage. All their preserves are based upon British apples and are lovingly handmade in small batches to retain their true flavour, with no added nasties! Clippy's extensive travels inspired her taste buds to build the unique repertoire of flavour combinations for Clippy's Apples. Learn more about Clippy's at www.clippys.com
| Cheshire Chocolates Cheshire Chocolates can be spotted in many quality outlets in the area and I was convinced when I saw them that they were made by a large company. The chocolates themselves are of such high quality and the packaging is beautiful. When I spoke to Amanda however, she told me that all the chocolates were hand made by her in her garage, she quickly added that it wasn't a typical garage with a wheel barrow hanging up in the corner though and it certainly isn't! All Amanda's chocolates are freshly made in small batches using the finest chocolate, imported from Belgium, she makes all her own ganache fillings, using fresh fruit purees, oils and whenever possible, locally sourced ingredients. Cheshire Chocolates was the winner for Best Chocolate, North West Producer of The Year 2005. Find out more about Cheshire Chocolates at www.cheshirechocolates.co.uk | Konfections Konfections handmade chocolates, made by Anne Petrovic. The chocolate is tempered, the moulds are filled, delicious fillings made and piped in and the backs are sealed, all by hand. The choice of fillings is vast they come with fruit centres, nut centres and every cream filling you can think of including the sublime tasting violet or rose crème. When I visited Anne recently she very kindly invited me to try as many chocolates as I wished, with all those flavours out in front of me and Anne in and out of the room, I must confess the temptation was too much and I left her house feeling more than a little full! Find out more abolut Anne's delicious chocolates at www.konfections.co.uk | Alison's Home Made Alison's Homemade is a previous winner of ' The Best of Made in Cheshire' because it was said that she "goes the extra mile" and "her products are all handmade and taste delicious, " a sentiment that I can only agree with. It is hard to believe that Alison, helped by her Mum, make all the cakes, biscuits, jams, preserves and even cordials. When I met Alison to talk about her products we talked more about our lives than about her cakes! But then again Alison's products speak for themselves! | Eddisbury Fruit Farm Eddisbury Fruit Farm is a family run business, established in 1936 and known as
"The home of Cheshire Apple Juice". Cheshire's most pure and natural apple juice made from the finest quality apples, all lovingly grown on rich Cheshire soils. Cheshire Apple Juice is grown, pressed and bottled at Eddisbury Fruit Farm.
The apple juices contain 100% pure apple juice with no artificial colouring or preservatives and no added sugar. Find out more about Eddisbury Fruit Farm at www.eddisbury.co.uk | Cholmondeley Homemade Fudge Cholmondeley Homemade Fudge is made by Louise Pigot on her Aga, at home on the Cholmondeley Castle Estate. Her delicious fudge is made with the highest quality ingredients, molasses cane sugar, butter, milk and syrup and comes in so many flavours it is hard to choose a favourite, I am told by Louise that ginger is one her most popular flavours but for chocoholics the chocolate flavoured fudge made with 72% cocoa content is a hard act to follow. | Franny's Foods Franny's Foods was formed by Nicola Woodward and named after her daughter. Nicola and her family developed a love of the Granola they tasted on a family holiday in Cape Town. On her return home, following fruitless efforts to find granola as good as what she had loved so much on holiday, Nicola decided to create our own version. She spent a few months tasting the competition and trying different recipes until we she was completely happy with a product designed to suit today's health-conscious consumers. The granola uses award-winning Cheshire oats with nuts, seeds and spices slowly toasted with sunflower oil and sweetened only with honey. There are no artificial additives, and no sugar or salt. Healthy food has never tasted so good! | The Real Smoked Nut Company The Real Smoked Nut Company's aim is to provide exactly what is says on the packet: REAL NUTS, REAL SMOKE, REAL TASTE. Most of us are familiar with Smoked Nuts as an appetising accompaniment to an evening drink , however, most of the so-called 'smoked' nuts available on supermarket shelves are not smoked at all, but simply have smoked flavouring added during processing. It is for this reason that The Cheshire Smokehouse, renowned curers and smokers of fine foods for almost a century, created The Real Smoked Nut Company. The Cheshire Smokehouse has been smoking foods since 1907, and this expertise, combined with the highest quality ingredients, ensuring that these nuts are very special. Find out more about The Cheshire Smokehouse at www.cheshiresmokehouse.co.uk | Mrs Darlington's Mrs Darlington and her family have been producing their unique range of high quality curds, jams, preserves, marmalades and chutneys for over 25 years. Their Legendary Lemon Curd is a 'Great Taste Award' winner. All their jams are 'extra jams', which is very much a mark of quality (the term 'extra jam' only being allowed for use by products with a high fruit content). All their traditional English jams come from their own family recipe books. They really are 'just like your grandma used to make' and are made only with the finest fruit for a natural flavour. Find out more about Mrs Darlington at www.mrsdarlingtons.com | Christine's Cheshire Chutneys Christine's Cheshire Chutneys a specialist producer of preserves, Christine, based in Alderley Edge, makes some of the finest preserves Cheshire has to offer. Her Caramelised Red Onion Marmalade is slowly cooked with balsamic vinegar and moscavado sugar and when it's caramelised just right, Christine places it in bottles, made with love and a lot of practice. All Christine's conserves have only two ingredients, fruit and sugar, no water is added to the mix and the end result is a fruit spread that packs a much more intense flavour. | Puddings with Passion Real Christmas Figgy Puddings made by Mike and Amanda of Puddings With Passion.
Mike and Amanda are passionate about their puddings. For years they had been making puddings for their families and friends. Everybody who tried one of their puddings said how delicious they were so when they offered to make them for Cheshire Baskets we were delighted.
The puddings are made using the finest figs, dried fruit, honey, walnuts, dark chocolate, spices and a liberal soaking of rum, they contain no animal fats so they are suitable for vegetarians. All the puddings are handmade, hand wrapped and delivered to us with great care.
| Berryfresh Tom and Lynne Morrison moved to Cheshire in 2009. Having both worked in the corporate world for most of their careers, the beauty of the county and the great local produce available has inspired them to fulfill a dream or two.
Tom has always loved crafts, fruit and the more avant-garde, so why not combine them and lovingly make jams and chutneys that include tea infusions or grated chocolate. He is continuing to broaden the range and in talking to local food producers and providers is developing flavours that are more exciting.
Lynne has a management background in catering and was encouraged by her Mum at the age of 7 to bake her first cake. Inspired by her Grandmother, who always put fresh fruit from the garden in her cakes and cooking, she has seized the opportunity to carry on the family tradition. Their philosophy is to use great ingredients, handle them with care, love and respect to give you an experience to remember.
| Fudgebox FudgeBox is a small, artisan confectionery business based in Chester, Cheshire, specialising in making the finest quality smooth luxury fudge in a range of delicious and innovative flavours. In it's first year of business, FudgeBox was awarded both the “Best Fudge and All Other Confectionary” prize in the 2010 FoodNW Awards and a “Gold Star” in the Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards 2010”.
| Kokonoir Jo & Toby Beevers started Kokonoir in Chester from a shared love of how chocolates should taste. Their chocolates are all handcrafted, using traditional artisan skills. Top quality local ingredients are used wherever possible, added to real Belgian chocolate to guarantee a fresh, delicious taste.
Toby Beevers, joint founder of Kokonoir, is no stranger to high class confectionery. As pastry chef for the Welsh Culinary Team and a member of the Welsh Culinary Association, he has worked at Michelin Star level and has even cooked for members of the royal family. But his real first love has always been confectionery, and chocolate in particular.
| Old Orchard Local produce and great taste is the essence of Old Orchard Preserves. A wonderful Granddad who imparted his preserve-cooking secrets, the destiny of living on the site of an old orchard and the ethos of using in-season, local produce that would otherwise be wasted - these are the things that inspired the formation of "Old Orchard Preserves" in April 2008 by Karen Peploe.
Karen had a vision and turned it into a reality. Spending the day picking fruit and pulling vegetables, going home to wash and prepare them, cooking without adding any pectin, preservatives or colours and later the same day having lovely jars of homemade preserves or super bottles of homemade cordial, which look, smell and taste fantastic! From crop to jar all in one day, from vision to reality, it simply and naturally doesn't get any better than that!
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