WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS...

LOBBYIST AND HOBBIEST, GERALD STRICKLAND, MOVED HIS FAMILY FROM BRUSSELS TO MALTA FOR A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE, AND TODAY, ALONG WITH HIS ‘DAY JOB’ AND RUGBY COACHING PASTIMES, MAKES A SERIES OF AWARD-WINNING JAMS, SAUCES, PICKLES AND MARMALADES.

“My family enjoy an outdoorsy life; we all like sport and spending time together, and good food is at the heart of that. Coupled with a military background where having tasty food was key, an interest in preserving slowly crept up on me.

I did some courses with The River Café and when the citrus trees in the garden were heavy with fruit, I at least knew how to maximise the crop. Indeed, our larder doubled as a gift cabinet, full of jars of my ‘liquid gold’. Jams and marmalades which we used as a family had requests for - Malta in a 100g jar - from my relatives abroad.

The ‘organisation’ is a family affair, I cook and recipe test with the help of my wife and daughter, and we all get involved with tasting, jarring, and sticking on labels one by one and they all help when we attend the local artisan markets too. It’s important for me to involve them.

There are so many uses for our products, they aren’t just for spreading on toast or using as a dip. At home, we are mostly on a plant-based diet and using them as ingredients for vinaigrettes and glazes really ups the taste profile. You have to try the Plumb & Brandy jam on a salad!”

In a very short period of time, Gee’s Gin & Tonic Marmalade and his Seville Orange and Lemon Marmalade were awarded Gold and Silver at The World’s Original Marmalade Awards competition in the UK. In November 2022, Gee’s won a Great Taste Award for its Chilli and Red Pepper Jam; a huge achievement! The international attention is growing and they've even been mentioned in the FT.

New varieties on the cards include a red pepper, chilli and strawberry combo whose versatility is being tested by the family. We imagine it will be a winner for more accolades and with local cheeses too!

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You will need:

1.5 tbsp gin

1 tbsp orange liqueur

1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tbsp of any of Gee’s Jams orange marmalades

Garnish: slice of lemon or orange

Add the gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice, and marmalade into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Pour into a glass and garnish with a slice of lemon or orange.

Jams and marmalades all start by being cooked in a pan over a high heat. The setting point is the moment when the pectin, acid and sugar are in a balance that makes the molecules cling together to form a gel. It’s tempting to overcook preserves and it’s often good to remind people who are new to jam making that jam should set in a jar and not in the pan.

Don’t panic if your preserve is still runny after several days. If this is the case simply open up the jar and return the contents to a pan and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes.