Thanks very much for the reassurance!
I did buy a conserve with damson, ginger and gunpowder tea. I must admit that I wasn’t previously familiar with damsons, but I’m quite certain I’ve had them from local markets. Apparently they grow wild in the Northwestern region of the U.S. I’m sure the taste is nothing like your local damsons though!
I did buy a homemade Cumbrian Apple & Ginger Chutney from the same shop - http://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk/products/homemade-conserves/sarah-s-homemade-cumbrian-apple-ginger-chutney/
We won’t be having a big holiday spread this year, but hopefully the chutney will go well with cheese. I wonder how it will compare to Hawkshead… I bought quite a few conserves, marmalades and chutneys from this shop, so I really hope they aren’t mass produced commercial jars that are just sold to tourists. They’ve won some gold medals and this looks to be the producer’s Facebook page, which is indeed promising: https://www.facebook.com/Wild-Fruitful-339277980667/
EDIT: Whaddya know, they sell Hawkshead jars through the Grasmere Gingerbread shop as well!
