Jam is a beloved staple at breakfast, primarily made of fruit and sugar, sometimes enhanced with pectin and citric acid. I prefer jams that stick to these essential ingredients without unnecessary additives. By law, jams must have a minimum sugar content; however, some products labeled as fruit spreads use fruit juice concentrate, which may not meet these sugar requirements.
I recently conducted a taste test of 10 different jams, trying each one directly from the jar and on a warm, buttered baguette. Each jam had its unique qualities, but several stood out due to their complex flavors and balanced sweetness.
Given that strawberries are one of the most pesticide-treated crops in the UK, as noted by the Pesticide Action Network, I prioritize organic options for strawberry jams. I also note the sugar content in my reviews, as sugar not only preserves the fruit but is a significant health consideration today. It’s interesting to note that jams with less sugar tend to have a shorter shelf life once opened.
Many jam brands boast long and storied histories. For example, Wilkin & Sons began producing Tiptree jam in 1885, Hartley’s originated in Lancashire in 1871, St Dalfour started in France around the 19th century’s end, and Bonne Maman was introduced in 1971. These brands offer a taste of tradition and heritage.
The Best Supermarket Strawberry Jam
Top Pick: Duchy Organic Strawberry Extra Jam Preserve
★★★★★
This jam features a rich mahogany color and a deep, slightly tart flavor that makes it my top choice for both taste and texture. It is quite sweet, with a sugar content of 65%, and includes both whole candied strawberries and softer, jammy pieces. It’s an excellent value and is also organic.
Best Value: Morrisons The Best Strawberry Conserve
★★★★☆
With a deep vermilion color and a classic strawberry taste, this jam offers good depth and sweetness, containing 59.3g of carbohydrates per 100g, with 57.5g being sugars. It features chunks of partially intact strawberries, adding to its appealing texture. A great buy for the price.
Other Notable Mentions
Fearne & Rosie Strawberry Preserve
★★★★★
This preserve has the hue of stewed rhubarb and a fresh, clean berry taste with balanced tartness. It’s less sweet than many others, with a unique, stewed fruit texture. Fearne & Rosie is a B Corp certified company, and this preserve, with a high fruit content (70%) and reduced sugar (35%), is produced in Belgium from EU-sourced ingredients.
St Dalfour Strawberry Spread
★★★★☆
With a lovely crimson color and familiar candied strawberry flavor, this spread includes chunks of the fruit for a satisfying texture. It’s sweet but not overly so, crafted in Marmande, France, using local fruits and natural sweeteners like grape must. This spread has a reasonable sugar content of 48% and details its sustainability practices online.
Clearspring Organic Strawberry Fruit Spread
★★★★☆
This spread is garnet red with a delightful strawberry flavor, subtly enhanced by apple butter. It’s one of the least sweet options, making it family-friendly. Sweetened with apple juice concentrate and purée, it has a very low sugar content of 29%. Though it’s the most expensive tested, it offers good value as an organic product.
Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve
★★★☆☆
Known for its handwritten label and gingham lid, Bonne Maman’s conserve features an appealing apple-red color and a quintessential strawberry flavor with a varied texture. While details on sustainability and provenance are limited, this conserve uses a simple, traditional recipe.
Tiptree Strawberry Conserve
★★★☆☆
This conserve has a brick-red color and a traditional strawberry taste with a rich texture full of seeds. It’s quite sweet, with a sugar content of 66%, typical for more traditional jams.
Hartley’s Best Strawberry Jam
★★☆☆☆
This jam has a pinkish, burgundy hue with a candied strawberry flavor that lacks complexity. Extremely sweet at 59% sugar, it has a smooth, seed-dotted jelly texture. Despite its rich heritage, it offers only average quality.
Stute No Sugar Strawberry Extra Jam
★★☆☆☆
With a traditional sweet and slightly tart strawberry taste, this jam has a smooth, jelly-like texture with lumps and seeds. Produced in Bristol since 1969, the brand is committed to sustainability, generating some of its electricity. With virtually no sugar (2.4%), it’s a healthier choice, although some might be concerned about its use of the sweetener sorbitol.
Mackays Scottish Strawberry Preserve
★★☆☆☆
This ruby-red preserve has a familiar, delicious strawberry flavor but is exceedingly sweet with a sugar content of 66.9%. Its sticky texture is somewhat offset by the inclusion of whole strawberries. Mackays, established in 1938, is one of the few to specify the origin of its fruit, using Scottish berries cooked in traditional copper pans.
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