Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
For Christmas, there is a certain set of rules that doesn’t apply at any time of year, and that is especially true with food. Opies Preserved Fruits are the type of treat you would never ever think of buying for yourself at any other time of year, nor would it be a gift for someone else unless it was something they particularly asked for! Perhaps that’s why Opies only release these preserved fruits at Christmas – so that you look forward to buying and consuming the luxurious preserves a family, or because you know the perfect recipient for the Kilner jarred delicacies, perhaps as part of a hamper?
We were sent part of their 2024 range including the Black Cherrie, Baby Pears and Peaches. Each of the fruits are preserved in a different alcohol (so Granny might enjoy this but probably not one for the children!) which included Kirsch for the black cherries, Amoretto for the pears and 12 year old brandy for the peaches. Packed by hand, the preserved fruits come in generous 500 gram plus sized portions and are now in fabulous Kilner jars, so when you’re finished with the fruit, you can use the jar again and again.
Starting with the Black Cherries, the label has various recipes inside, but for starters you can use these in trifles, Christmas or otherwise. I like them on their own with some cream, or one year I made croissants and added cherries to the middle, which gave the croissants a festive red colouring as well! The baby pears are great as statement pieces at a Christmas dessert, or sliced up with their Amoretto flavoured juices as a Tarte Tatin. My favourites though are the Brandy peaches. The recipes include Peach Melba, but imagine these sweet, soft peaches in a peach crumble with delicious custard or ice cream as an alternative to Christmas Pudding?
Opies have other hand packed preserved fruits available on their website; have a look to see who you’ll be buying for this year, or maybe treat yourself?
Available from £6.99
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