Our Story
The Idea
It began in 2010 as a hobby mainly because my mum decided to stop making chutneys and jams for the family. I missed them so I decided it was down to me to continue the family tradition. I started by throwing a few ingredients together from the fridge and cupboards, followed along to some random recipes and before I knew it I had my first few jars of Mango Chutney. Little did I know that this was the humble beginnings of a great thing.
The Markets
‘The proof is in the pudding’, they say, and so it was time for more than just my friends and family to try my jams and chutneys, but the general public too. The response was very positive, and that got me thinking that there could be more to this than just a hobby. So I took the plunge back in 2019, and only two days after officially starting the business I entered the Great Taste Awards.
The Awards
Six months later my Spicy Pineapple Chutney was a three-star winner of the 2019 Great Taste Awards, the ‘Startisan of The Year’ award and the Great British Savoury Preserve Award in 2020. The same year it got even better with the Spicy Mango Chutney also becoming a three star Great Taste Award winner in 2020 and in 2021 my Spicy Pineapple won a further award – a hat-trick of awards!
The Motivation
This fruitful journey has been more to me than just cooking chutneys, it’s helped me through my struggles with mental health, and that’s why we donate 10p for every jar sold to the charity Mind UK. So, Matthew’s Preserved isn’t just a jar of award-winning chutneys and jams. It isn’t just the best choice of condiments your money can buy, it’s also been the source of my strength and given me purpose and meaning during my ups and downs.
