On choosing Raspberry and Rose

On choosing raspberry and Rose

One of the questions I am most often asked is:
What is your best seller?
Or sometimes, What is your favourite?
I always hesitate.
The best seller is often the flavour people are most unsure about, the one they approach cautiously, sometimes even skeptically, and yet it is the first to sell out.

When I first started selling at the farmers market, I didn’t understand why people would stand in front of twenty different jars and ask which one was the best seller. As if the others were somehow less worthy. As if popularity meant better.
But taste is personal.

If I tell you which one sells the most, will that stop you from choosing the one that quietly calls to you?

Flavour is not about popularity. It’s about memory , the things you grew up eating, or the ones that transport you back to a moment, a place, a season. It’s about curiosity. A small leap of trust.

Creating new flavours is one of the easiest things for me. I only need to look at the fruit, breathe in its aroma, and I instantly know what would make it shine even brighter. Pairing herbs, flowers, spices or liquor is something very serious to me. I’m sometimes asked if I just mix things for fun in my kitchen, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each flavour combination has a purpose, a meaning, a story.

And the story of Raspberry & Rose is one of my dearest.

Taste Raspberry & Rose

Rose water was always around when I was growing up. My mother would add a few drops to a large pitcher of water on hot summer days. We would use it in the morning to gently awaken our sleepy faces. She would fold it into whipped cream to serve with fresh berries.

The scent of rose was never perfume in our home. It belonged at the table.
So naturally, when it was time to choose a raspberry jam for Le Meadow’s Pantry, I knew it had to be the one with rose water.

Roses and raspberries belong to the same botanical family , Rosaceae. While they look different, their shared background contributes to similar aromatic and flavour profiles.

Maybe that’s why, after all these years, it is still my most popular flavour. The one people approach with a quiet fear of soap. The one they reach for, then pause when they see the word rose on the label.
I reassure them. It won’t taste like soap. The proper amount of pure rose water doesn’t cover the raspberry, it makes it shine brighter.
And if they are still hesitant, I simply say:
Best seller.

Raspberry & Rose is available on the website now , a jar makes a thoughtful little gift, or something special to keep for yourself.