Honey Jam was an idea that was spawned at the Menai Bridge Food Festival 2019 when Welsh Lady Preserves was exhibiting as was honey producer Pen y Bryn Apiary. Carys, a honey enthusiast and bee farmer, began the conversation with Carol and together they came up with a plan of producing high quality Honey Jam on a commercial scale.
Lockdown due to COVID-19 has certainly driven businesses to be innovative and think of new ways to present their produce – Welsh Lady Preserves and Pen y Bryn Apiary with honey jam are no exception.
Carys Edwards of Pen y Bryn Apiary, Ganllwyd, Dolgellau was keen to develop her home-made recipes of producing Honey Jam. Together with Carol Jones of Welsh Lady Preserves, Y Ffôr, Pwllheli she has come up with six varieties.
But, they claim that this is no ordinary jam! Carys knew exactly the desired outcome in relation to taste, aroma and balance of ingredients. Pen y Bryn Apiary honey replaces sugar in order to create the sweetness of a jam and therefore is referred to as ‘Extra Jam’ due to the volume of fruit included.
The Honey Jam is a honey-sweetened product from Snowdonia and contains high quality fruit, hand-cooked in open copper pans dating from the 1930’s.
Carys said:
“I knew exactly what I wanted but lacked the facilities to produce the Honey Jam on a commercial level. Carol was able to bring expert knowledge and experience to the partnership due to running her company Welsh Lady Preserves – and has meant that my dream has now become reality.”
After months of developing, sampling and adjusting the recipes, the final six flavours are now shelf ready.
Carol, a member of the Fine Food Cluster says;
“Having met Carys and got to know her and being made aware of the investment she has made in a purpose-built building for honey extraction on site in Ganllwyd, I knew straight away that she was passionate about the honey sector in Wales and had the utmost enthusiasm and drive to see this idea through.”
The Welsh Honey Cluster, through Cywain, has supported Pen y Bryn Apiary since the beginning of 2019 with branding, labelling, digital marketing, business plans and product development.
Haf Hughes, Honey Cluster Lead said:
“Seeing the expansion of a honey production company is news in its own right – having two companies from Wales expand during the COVID-19 pandemic is great news.”
Haf adds:
“Having a naturally sweetened product is something new and different for the customer. During my time supporting Carys, I have realised that she has persevered with her honey production business, and working with Welsh Lady Preserves brought her vision of being able to supply shops and customers with her high-quality honey and fruit jams, into reality.”
The Honey Jam and Honey Marmalade can be found at the following outlets:
Deli Newydd, Cricieth
Eurospar, Dolgellau
Cwt Gwyn / White Hut, Dolgellau
The Fruit and Veg Shop, Dolgellau
Siop Dewi, Penrhyndeudraeth
Yr Hen Farchnad / The Old Market, Harlech
Banc, Penygroes
For more information: www.penybrynhoney.com | www.welshladypreserves.com
