The strawberry power behind Bettys new preserve

The strawberry power behind Bettys new preserve

We’re supremely excited to announce that our Yorkshire Classic Strawberry Preserve is now made using Yorkshire strawberries from Annabel’s Deliciously British.

This outrageously fruity jam is a true A-lister in the preserve world. It is created using Malling Centenary strawberries, the richest-tasting variety grown in the UK. They are grown, simmered and packaged here in Yorkshire, all year round.

Fifth-generation farmer and local food hero, Annabel Makin-Jones, founded her Yorkshire-based business four years ago but has been growing strawberries for 20!

‘We started our journey as beekeepers to support bee conservation,’ she says ‘because, despite bees being an important link in the food chain, they are in decline. Now we have 1.5million bees across 22 hives on our Yorkshire strawberry farm.

‘Bees are an integral part of strawberry production here at Annabel’s Deliciously British as they pollinate our strawberry plants each season. They also produce our honey which is delicately flavoured by the strawberry plants and local wildflowers that they pollinate. I absolutely love having the bees on the farm – watching them work is just the icing on the cake. And the honey we get from them is divine.’

Today, Annabel’s Deliciously British products include fresh fruit, flowers, preserves and honey. Her signature strawberry preserve is now a luxurious addition to several of Bettys delicious treats, including our new Yorkshire Strawberry Fondant Fancies, our Victoria Sponge and is served with our Afternoon Tea and Yorkshire Cream Tea in our Café Tea Rooms.

But it’s not just her jam that makes us happy. Her approach to sustainability is also admirable.

‘We have a zero-waste policy,’ Annabel says, ‘so less-than-perfect strawberries go into our jam – a product that stands out amongst almost all other strawberry jams in the UK for being 100% British. Unusable fruit goes to our packaging supplier’s carbon neutral generator, so that it can produce “strawberry power” to help make sustainable packaging.

Look out for Annabel’s fresh strawberries in a range of seasonal desserts when you next visit Bettys Café Tea Rooms.