Manchester couple to preserve Britain's Apples

Michelle McKenna, aka Clippy, and her partner Paul Gorman have launched their own brand of apple jams and preserves. Based in Sale, Manchester the couple are the first company to commercially produce apple jam.

The idea came from Clippy who said:

"We have a lovely 80-year-old apple tree in the back yard and I basically taught myself to make preserves from all the apples we gathered. At the same time I was working for a PhD which included a study on Britain's disappearing apple orchards. We were alarmed by the statistic that two thirds have disappeared since 1970 and that got us thinking.

"I realised I could either write a thesis that a handful of people would read or do something practical to help reverse the trend. The real Eureka moment came when I realised that there weren't any apple jams commercially available to buy on your local high street."

The range includes Apple Pie Conserve, Apple & Figgy Diggy Conserve and Apple & Blueberry Conserve. They will be available from next week in 800 Tesco stores in the UK.

James Moyle, Tesco desserts and spreads buyer commented:

"We think that Clippy's is one of the most innovative products to hit the world of spreads for a long time and are very excited to be working together."