Today the Jam-maker went to a funeral – an old friend of his currently London-based uncle. This friend was a foreign correspondent in his working life so the mourners were all mostly journalists too. Dressed in a black leather jacket, with his hipster specs and goatee, people assumed the Jam-maker was also a journalist until he explained that although he was an engineer by profession, these days he makes jam.
This made me think about how odd this process of starting a small business can be. At this end of things at least, it’s all about invention and reinvention. Not just professionally, but personally as well. We spend hours talking about flavour combinations, costs per jar, labelling options, ways to convert our spare room downstairs into a compliant food preparation premises (we’ve banned the phrase ‘commercial kitchen’ from our lexicon). We’re inventing a range of products and a plan to bring them to market. But is the Jam-maker really a jam-maker or is he still a water recycler with a hobby? He’s reinventing his idea of himself, so at what point can he say he truly makes jam for a living?
The obvious answer is, once the whole house is converted into a jam factory! This is the Jam-maker’s second go at running a business from home but he still hasn’t quite worked out how to keep business and personal separate. It will be a bit easier when we have the ‘kitchen’ downstairs sorted, but I can’t see our dining room table doing anything but double duty for the foreseeable future. It’s a small price to pay though if all this makes the Jam-maker happy.
The Jam
Ruby Tuesday - the first tage of preparation
At Paddy’s Market on the weekend we found ripe red strawberries at a price low enough to be jam-worthy. Along with rhubarb and a little cinnamon, the vanilla and sugar steeped berries (see picture) have been amalgamated into one delicious whole we’re calling Ruby Tuesday. I can’t wait to broach a jar and add a spoonful to some plain yoghurt. Yum!
Lloyd's Luscious 