McQuade's chutney

Back in November — in what feels like another lifetime — the Chef and I had a day off from the book tour stop in the Bay Area. Our dear friend Tea took us on a drive out to Marin, to sample local cheeses, to watch cows in green pastures, to talk about great food and eat it in the next moment.

In one of the more idyllic hours of the trip, we stopped near the water, at Hogg Island Oysters. We ate the oysters that the Chef shucked for us, in the moment. We had a spontaneous gathered picnic, with the last of the year's tomatoes, fresh persimmons, and so much goodness that every bite tasted different.

But one of the bites I remember best was a gluten-free cracker and soft cheese, topped with a dollop of McQuade's moray fig and ginger chutney. This chutney was snappy with spicy ginger, a dreamy sweetness with the fig, and so many spices and flavors that we couldn't even name them all, not all three food-loving people combined. That says something.

McQuade's chutneys are wonderful. That sentence seems a little flat in comparison with the zing of these tastes, but it will have to do. Just look at the possibilities:

Glasgow spiced apple chutney
Lankashire sun-dried tomato chutney
Elgin habanero chutney

And that is just the start.

I adore the fact that the company lists all the ingredients on the website, so those of us with allergies, food intolerances, and autoimmune disorders feel safe.

And it looks like they will be taking online orders soon. Yippee!

So rush right over and try to buy some.

Just after our Bay Area trip, and that idyllic day in nature, Little Bean was conceived. Who knows? Maybe it had something to do with the chutney.