What’s trending in the UK jams and spreads market?

You can’t go wrong with a slice of toast smothered with jam, or a bowl of granola drizzled with wildflower honey for breakfast.

As Leah Riley, head of sales at Thursday Cottage, tells Speciality Food, “Jams and spreads will always be a popular choice for your toast in the morning. Both of my little boys are big fans of jam on toast and very partial to a jam sandwich.”

“A lovely slice of toast with melted butter and a quality jam, marmalade or honey takes some beating,” Heather Copley, owner of Farmer Copleys, adds.

How to upsell jam, honey and conserves

Today’s consumers are using conserves and other sweet spreads in more inventive ways than ever before. From baking to pimping up porridge, the era of innovative spread usage is here, and independent retailers are well-placed to cash in.

According to Laura Strapp, ambient buyer at Cotswold Fayre, “Breakfast has become more about fuelling your body, and this category very much fits with having toast and adding to it with jam/honey etc. 

“We have seen smoothies become more popular, adding honey to get natural sweetness or adding it to granola or natural yogurt. This creativity has really opened the category to new users.”

Indeed, as Leah explains, “Consumers are far more creative than ever before, and our spreads, jams and curds are often used to bake delicious treats. Curds can be drizzled over ice cream, waffles and pancakes or used in the middle of muffins for that extra burst of flavour.

“If a retailer also has a café, they can promote the versatile use of jams and spreads by baking with them in their kitchen and advertising this on their menu, signposting that they could recreate this treat at home as the retail jars are sold in the shop.”

This is something Chris Barnes, co-founder of Black Bee Honey, has seen from the use of his honey varieties, as he tells Speciality Food, “With many people now moving away from using refined sugar in their cooking and baking, honey is becoming more widely used as a sugar replacement. We also work with an increasing number of chefs who are choosing to use high quality British produce in their restaurants. They often use honey throughout the entire meal, and not just in desserts.

“By promoting honey as an ingredient that can be used in salad dressings, or as a marinade, as well as for sweetening baked goods, retailers can widen the appeal away from only the traditional uses.”

Of course, communicating these messages in store is the secret weapon of the independent retailer. “Regular tastings in store can spark conversation and provide a good opportunity for staff to pass over information regarding recipe ideas,” Leah explains.

“Retailers could ask questions such as ‘Have you tried adding a big spoonful of strawberry jam to your gin and tonic?’ and ‘Did you know our curds create a delicious and easy to make no bake cheesecake?’” 

By being creative, there is plenty of scope for independents to generate those all-important sales and show consumers the vibrancy of the fine food industry.

Which flavours of sweet spread should retailers be stocking in 2023?

The saying might be ‘less is more’, but when it comes to stocking jams, honeys and spreads, for Leah, the more variety the better. “I think if retailers stock a range of flavours this helps upsell jams and spreads, including some of the more unusual ones which the consumer may not have tried before,” she says.

“For example, if a retailer has our Lemon Curd on the shelf next to our Cherry Curd and Blood Orange Curd, this will help draw the consumer in to try other flavours.”

However, what consumers value the most is taste and quality. According to Heather, “There was a phase in this sector where everything had to be a strange flavour combination or have alcohol involved. I would say this is not necessary if the quality ingredients are there in the first place.”

For her, it’s all about, “Taste, taste, taste! Not tonnes of sugar. They [consumers] are looking for something that makes their mouth water when they smell it, and it’s not all about price, at least not in the farm shop industry. The products need to have a depth and vibrancy of colour, a delicious texture (rather than a thick set jam for instance), and a taste that screams what it says on the label.”

With stricter health regulations coming into effect in the UK, and shoppers looking for ‘better for you’ options, high quality spreads with more fruit and less sugar are high on the agenda. 

“Health and what ingredients are used in products is top of people’s priorities as they look to make changes and educated in making healthier choices,” Laura tells Speciality Food.

“In terms of emerging brands, single variety is important, it’s all about the fruit, and mango flavoured preserve is out of this world. We stock Fearne & Rosie which is aimed at children and all about the fruit and less sugar.

“For our sector, customers expect to find a good jam, honey and spread offering, and indies can do well by encouraging trial on these emerging new brands that are giving this category a new lease of life.”

Why should retailers choose local jam and spread brands?

When it comes to what consumers want from their jams, honeys and spreads, the local appeal and farm to fork journey are also strong pull factors. 

This is particularly evident across the honey industry, as Chris explains, “On the back of numerous reports of adulterated honey flooding supermarket shelves, consumers are becoming increasingly aware that not all honey is what it says it is – with many imported honeys containing sugar syrup and other foreign ingredients. 

“At Black Bee Honey, we believe that everyone has the right to know where their food comes from and how it’s made. Knowing exactly who made the honey and where means we can put that on every jar. The tamper strips on our honey jars have the name of the beekeeper and the location of their apiary (group of hives).”

Showing the farm to fork journey is extremely important to the team at Farmer Copleys. As Heather tells Speciality Food, “All of our honey is from the hives on the farm and we have five beekeepers, including myself and Robert. 

“People are able to see us on videos looking after the bees (on courses next year with visitors) and then us spinning the honey in front of them if it’s a honey spinning day – it’s all about people knowing where their food comes from, it genuinely is the field to fork or flower to jar story.”

Regardless of whether you make the product yourself, telling the story is key, and championing the passion that goes into creating high-quality products is what fine food retail is known for. 

10 to try: Jams, spreads and honey

1 Mrs Bridges Scottish Raspberry Preserve
The best of succulent Scottish raspberries and Mrs Bridges traditional recipe make this the quintessential preserve.

2 Thursday Cottage Lemon Curd
This creamy curd is made with lemons, butter and fresh free-range eggs, perfect as a spread or a baking ingredient.

3 Black Bee Honey British Summer 
Multi-floral honey sourced during the summer months from apiaries in Somerset, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire.

4 Hawkshead Relish Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam
A jam that encapsulates summer, this Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam is fruity, sweet and sticky.

5 Odysea Orange Blossom Honey
A light golden yellow colour that turns warm orange as it catches the sunlight, this Greek honey is intensely sweet with delicate citrus and floral notes.

6 Jam Bothy Raspberry & Gin Jam
Hand-made the traditional way in small batches, the new jams from Gin Bothy are made using the fresh seasonal fruit of Scotland.

7 Rosebud Preserves Seville Orange Marmalade
Classically strong, rich, sharp and full flavoured, this marmalade is naturally set with unrefined cane sugar.

8 The London Honey Company Shropshire Honey
An old-fashioned, classic British summer honey from the clover pastures and wildflower hedgerows of Shropshire.

9 Fearne & Rosie Strawberry Super Berry Jam
Sweet, fruity goodness from strawberries, blackcurrants and blueberries with 40% less sugar than standard.

10 Cottage Delight Mango & Passionfruit Curd
Exotic passionfruit and beautiful mango are combined to create this deliciously creamy curd full of tropical fruity flavour.