A chef-run Margaret River pantry maker that began in 2013 as Hann Jam, making onion jam, fruit pastes, pickled onions and kasundi.
It started with onion jam. In 2013 the business was called Hann Jam, and the onion jam was the product that caught on before there was much of a range around it. The rest was developed afterwards, and in 2016 Hann Jam rebranded as Margaret River Food Company.
The business is run by Paul, a chef. The company's site describes him as having a background in food and a connection to the South West. The products are hand-made, and the list reads like a chef's idea of what a cheese board and a fridge door are missing.
There are fruit pastes: Quince, Pear & Cardamom, and Apple Ginger & Sage. There are jams, Strawberry and one called Sconeberry, a name that doubles as a serving suggestion. There is Kasundi, the Indian-style spiced relish, along with a Red Pepper & Chilli Relish, a Chipotle Hot Sauce, and a Ghost Chilli & Sweet Pimento Gel for people who mean it. Pickled onions come three ways: honey, spiced and chilli. Add dukkah and an extra virgin olive oil under the company's own name and you have most of a grazing table from one maker.
The company says its products are supplied to outlets around the South West, so if you have travelled through the region there is a fair chance you have walked past the jars.
Onion jam is a quiet workhorse. It goes on a burger, beside a sausage, under melted cheese on toast, or next to a sharp cheddar. It makes sense that it was the jar that started things, and it is still the one to begin with.