A WINSLEY based pickle and chutney company owner believes that stumbling across her award-winning range by pure accident has been the most rewarding experience of her life.

Stephanie Anderson launched In a Pickle Co in 2011 and since then she has attracted a national fan base, supplying 25 different products to over 50 farm shops and retailers.

Mrs Anderson, who had previously worked with contract caterers, said the idea to set up her company first stemmed from her son’s school fair where she was selling sweet pickled cucumber which sold out.

“It was just a joy to me to see people enjoying it and the ‘light bulb’ moment came when I realised that actually I didn’t want a catering company at all – I wanted a chutney company as it would suit my lifestyle much better,” she added.

Mrs Anderson believes it is this experience in the food industry which positioned her well in creating different products and retailing them to farm shops.

She said: “I understand food and when I worked with contract caterers who were great chefs, you pick up tips and you know what flavours go well with one another.

The range includes both savoury and sweet treats such as Mexican Marmalade, Mango Chutney and Spiced Pear and Apple Chutney and it is this variety which Mrs Anderson believes makes her brand stand out on the shelf.

She added: “When I started to look at farm shops, I realised how much there was and I thought I need to stand out amongst the traditional side of chutney and pickles.

“I thought I would mix it up a bit and that is how I came up with the design for different flavours and we tried to make it more modern looking.”

As the product is produced and packaged at her Winsley home, local demand has soared particularly at farm shops like Hartley Farm.

“Local suppliers are quite loyal to local food producers, particularly in farm shops, and it is important for people to buy things they know and trust,” she explains. “People are becoming more interested in where their food comes from and when people see me at food markets or at farm shops they know that I hand make the product.”

She now develops recipes that incorporates the pickles, chutneys and jams with blogger Sal Godfrey at Sal's Kitchen in Bath.

In the next few months, In a Pickle will introduce new flavours to keep up with upcoming trends including BBQ and fruit curds.

For more information visit: www.inapicklefoodco.co.uk