Mrs Darlington's Apple & Sage Jelly With Cider - 212g

Fruit jellies like this belong to the very British habit of putting a spoonful of something sweet next to something savoury: redcurrant with lamb, apple with pork, a sharp jelly beside a wedge of cheese. Apple and sage sits firmly at the pork end of the table.

People in Canada go looking for it because the Sunday roast travels well and its little jars do not. The joint is easy to find. The thing that made it taste like your mum's kitchen takes a bit more hunting.

The jar is a modest one, which is about right for a few roasts and a cheese board or two. Keep it in the cupboard until it is opened, then follow the pack. A teaspoon on the plate, a dab stirred into the gravy, or a brush over a gammon near the end of its time in the oven all work.

Mrs Darlington's also makes curds, jams and chutneys, so if the jelly earns its keep, the rest of the shelf deserves a look. Most people pick up a chutney for the cheese while they are at it, and nobody has ever regretted that.