Peadar O Lionaird of Follain Teo mincing oranges for marmalade. (Photo by John Minihan)
I’ve been waiting for blackberry season for a few months now, initially observing the profusion of blossom with anticipation but realising as the wet weeks passed that the promise shown in May would never be delivered. With what we we could gather last weekend it wasn’t worth contemplating jam, so for the next 12 months we’ll have to continue relying on Folláin Teo…how bad! Their jams are great, I particularly like the raspberry and blackberry, which are tart enough to retain the full fruit flavour and aroma. Anyway resigned yet consoled, I recycled my stash of jars (I even had enough lids!) and travelled to Ballyvourney to talk to Peadar O’ Lionáird about jam making, fruit growing and the bad weather.
Peadar and his wife Mairín, started their business 26 years ago in their kitchen in Coolea, subsequently growing through various stages from their garage to a portacabin to a small enterprise unit, until they finally took on a stand-alone factory in Ballyvourney. The business provides employment for 15 people, including their daughter Máiréad. With all the bad news about job losses, Peadar reckons that there is still near full employment in the local Muskerry Gaeltacht. “There is a strong tradition of trade and enterprise here and people who start businesses always have the support of the local community. During the 1950s when emmigration was huge, local people recognised the need for industry to prevent the loss of the population and culture. We’re not dependent on any large multinationals, all the businesses here are indigenous or locally owned partnerships.”
Struck by the scale of the plant, I asked Peadar about making the transition from home production to what they do now. “We wanted to bring what we had developed to the market but retain our core qualities as artisan producers. It has been very important that we designed the new plant around our processes and products, not the other way around. Almost all of the equipment you see here has been custom made for us and people are still the most important element in the making our jams. We continue to cut, de-seed and mince oranges, lemons and grapefruit by hand. I don’t know of any other jam maker at this scale that does that. We’re using the same recipes here as we used with the six saucepans in the kitchen. And just like your mother might test for setness on a plate, we do it visually too. But a bit of science helps as well, by testing the ph level and sugar solids we know when to stop boiling and so retain more of the flavour while still getting it set.” This taste quality was once again acknowledged at the annual Great Taste Awards in London this year, where Folláin picked up awards for 3 of their preserves. “This recognition means a lot to us. It gives creedence to the quality we’ve got and shows that one can take artisan quality from the kitchen to a larger factory unit.”
Peadar gave me a tour of the jam making process, guiding me through the sweet aromas and steam to observe the simmering fruit, the shunting jars and an array of ingenious machines that serve to get the jam just right. Stopping over a pot of blackberries I asked Peadar about where they get their berries. “We try to get as much from local pickers as possible. It’s been an appalling blackberry season this year, I’ve been watching the ditches at home and they’re turning back to green. But there are a lot of local factors that affect the crop, so there are probably good patches elsewhere. We’re still looking for people to come in with fruit. We buy in any quantity from about 4 or 5kgs up to hundreds of kilos. With blackberries, it’s best to pick just short of full ripeness, when the berry is still firm. This makes the best jam. People take great care of the fruit, spreading it out at home to remove any barbs or foreign bodies before they freeze it. The wild blackberries are different varieties to the commercially grown ones and give a better flavour, more complex, less sugary. The greatest amount we ever bought in from local pickers was in 2003 when 8 tonnes were picked and delivered locally.” Peadar is also keen to talk to anyone interested in growing fruit commercially and in fact Peadar and Mairín are at an advanced stage of getting into fruit growing for themselves. “The demand for fruit is greater than ever, a lot more is eaten fresh now and smoothies have really upped our consumption. Even still fruit growing can be risky and we understand the growers concern that they might be left with the crop. We are very willing to discuss a partnership arrangement with anyone interested in growing. Around here is not the best spot for soft fruit, when it gets wet, it stays wet, not like near the sea where the wind dries the damp quickly.”
Peadar and Mairín are continually working on new recipes and products. They have a huge range of pickles and savoury sauces that we rarely see in the shops despite the fact that they are equally well adorned with Great Taste Medals. “Because we use small scale stainless steel equipment we can easily switch from sugar based products to vinegar based sauces. Larger plants can’t do that. It’s so hard to get new products listed with the supermarkets. We sell all of these to the catering trade. I’d say there’s not a hotel in the country that doesn’t have at least one of our products.”
As I left with a few new products in hand to take home and taste Peadar reminded me again to put the word out that they are actively looking for blackberries from local pickers. So if the sun has warmed the hedgerows near you and you’re interested in picking a few more kilos, give Peadar a call on 026-45288.
PS
Just found this really good blog post on Totally Cooked about blackberry picking. It has good advice, especially on jam making and avoiding dog pee.
