Crabapple Jelly

At Fat Tomato, we grow three varieties of crabapples in our garden: the native European crabapple (found in hedgerows across Ireland), the striking red-fleshed Laura, and the golden-orange Butterball, flushed with pink. Each tree brings something beautiful to the garden - clouds of blossom in spring, jewel-like fruit in summer and autumn, and sculptural branches that carry colour right through winter. The birds adore them almost as much as we do.

Anthony is a big fan of crabapple jelly, and he makes a few batches each year, each one subtly different depending on the varieties used. Butterball produces an amber-coloured jelly with a bright tartness and citrus-sweet finish, while Laura creates a vivid pink-red jelly that’s intensely aromatic. Both are rich in natural pectin - ideal for jellies - allowing the pure flavour of the fruit to shine with only a modest amount of organic sugar.

We make all our fruit jellies in traditional copper pans, which conduct heat beautifully and help preserve clarity, colour, and depth of flavour. To sweeten and balance the jelly, we use organic raw cane sugar from Colombia and organic Verna lemons sourced through the CrowdFarming platform - a wonderful way to support small, often multi-generation Mediterranean farmers who grow organically and with care. We source all our citrus through this platform to ensure quality, traceability, and fair production.

This jelly has a perfect set with just a slight wobble - exactly how we like it. Delicious with roast pork, pâté, cold meats, or cheese. Spread it on hot toast with plenty of salted butter, use it in a Bakewell tart, or whisk it into marinades for vegetables, pork, or chicken.

Presented in two sizes, glass hexagonal jar and a glass WECK jar, wrapped in illustrated paper that tells the Wexford and Irish food story, and elegantly packaged in our signature black box.