Rubies In The Rubble Condiments Review

Reviewed by Amanda Hayes

Food waste is a big bugbear of mine, so I was really pleased to be able to test out some of the large range of condiments from Rubies In The Rubble (rubiesintherubble.com). Jenny, Rubies founder, was also passionate about food waste and started the Company 10 years ago to use up all that wasted fruit and veg that normally ends up in the bin. Some produce just doesn’t make it to the supermarket due to the size and shape, and although some of the supermarkets are now selling wonky fruit and veg, there is still a huge amount of waste, from fruit too ripe to make it to the shop, too blemished or bruised, or just where the farmer has grown too much to sell due to an unexpectedly good harvest.

Her range of relishes and sauces are now award winning so I couldn’t wait to try them, although my son was even keener as he loves pickle on pretty much anything! I received a selection from the range consisting of Classic Apple Relish, Spicy Tomato Relish, Pear & Fig Relish, Tomato Ketchup, Garlic Mayo & Chilli Mayo and the first one he wanted to try with his cheese sandwich was the Spicy Tomato relish. This was a great hit, at almost 70% tomato content mixed with a range of Indian spices he found it to be spicy, but not overly so, and has asked for it many times since. The next evening, we tried the pear and fig relish with its 50% pear content, this is perfect with a ploughman’s, sweet and tasty with added sultanas. The Classic Apple Relish I am saving for my roast pork at the weekend, as I was amazed to find out from the website that it’s made from the leftover apples from Virgin Trains first class carriages, its then turned into relish and served with their ploughman’s, the ultimate in recycling. All of the relishes come in a decent size 210g jar and at £3.50 per jar they are good value for money.

The Rubies Tomato Ketchup is a fantastic product with twice the fruit and half the refined sugar of standard brands, the additional sweetness doesn’t come from sugar but from surplus pears, saving a whole load of bruised and overripe fruit from being binned. It has a great fruity taste that went down well with a fish finger sandwich. All of the Rubies products are gluten free and vegan friendly and the mayo’s are no exception. The traditional ingredient of egg is replaced by Aquafaba, a protein-rich water left over from cooking chickpeas which is normally a waste product, I must admit I couldn’t tell the difference and enjoyed the taste immensely. The mayo range comes in a slightly bigger 240g jar and at £2.99 is in line with most premium brands.

So, if you are conscious of food waste and air miles, most of the ingredients are locally sourced in the UK and are willing to pay a small premium over standard supermarket brands, then rubiesintherubble.com, should be your first port of call for summer picnics, a ploughman’s lunch or just good old fish and chips. The great taste and fantastic eco credentials make Rubies in The Rubble the perfect range of condiments.

Rating: Highly recommended 5 out of 5

RRP: from £2.99

These products can be purchased from rubiesintherubble.com or many good delicatessens