Sometimes you just can’t beat a humble jam sandwich.
But it tastes even sweeter when you know the money you paid for the jam is going to preserve animal rescue charities – and it’s stopping fresh produce going to landfill in the process.
Nah That’s Reyt Good is a Rotherham-based not-for-profit organisation that’s doing just that.
Mel Wilson-Rodgers and her husband Paul spend hours in their kitchen making jams, marmalades, chutneys, and pickles and have donated over £45,000 to animal charities.
Their tasty product range is all made using fruit and veg donated by generous allotment holders, garden growers and wholesale suppliers who happily gift their surplus yields.
The idea started over 20 years ago when Mel worked in banking. She’d previously worked with animals for over 15 years, first for the RSPCA before becoming head vet nurse in private practice.
After leaving her veterinary career behind, she still wanted to help animals who needed the most care. Then an abundance of blackberries growing behind her house gave way to a new nickname of ‘the Jam Lady’.
“I made a load of blackberry jam and took some into work for my colleagues to try. They went mad for it, so I started selling it for a donation to charity. I ended up with a shop on my desk with people putting orders in. Then someone suggested I should set up stalls at village fetes, and it took off from there,” Mel says.
After taking early retirement three years ago to care for her elderly parents, Mel has relished being able to spend more time in the kitchen to keep up with growing demand.
She and Paul usually make two batches a day in their Bramley home kitchen, with three freezers jam-packed with produce ready to be turned into jams, chutneys or pickles.
“I’ve been known to come home from the pub with bags of rhubarb that’s someone’s brought for me or find a load of oranges on my doorstep. When it’s beetroot season we make proper pickled beetroot, which makes the kitchen look like a bloodbath, but we can’t make it quick enough. Same with our lemon and lime curds. They’re spoken for as soon as they’re made.
“One of our supporters in a man called Les who’s in his 80s. He’s got a one-acre allotment in Dalton and most of what he grows he gives to us. He grows tayberries that are a cross between a raspberry and blackberry – and that’s one of our best sellers in the summer months. But we’re only as good as the produce we get given.”
Just like their jams, Nah That’s Reyt Good spreads their donations far and wide amongst many charities that support a variety of animals, from cats and dogs to badgers, chickens, hedgehogs and horses.
The gooseberry and pear jam or red grapefruit marmalade you buy to put on your toast might go towards saving stray dogs from euthanasia. While the Caribbean banana chutney you’ve got for your cheese and crackers might rescue chickens from battery farms.
“The money is there to be given away, and that’s the best bit. We can’t perform miracles, but we can make a small difference to many charities. We make annual donations to the RSPCA and South Yorkshire Badger Group, as those are charities close to my heart, but we ask our Facebook followers to nominate other local charities they think would appreciate our support.”
To keep the donation pot bubbling away, the Wilson-Rodgers will be at various fetes and markets this summer selling their wares. You can find them at:
- Sunnyside Community Centre, Saturday 31st May 10.30am-3pm
- The Centre Brinsworth, Sunday 1st June 10am-2pm
- Fitzwilliam Road Fire Station, Saturday 12th July 10am-3pm
They have a few outlets where you can buy them from, such as the Yellow Broom in Bramley, New York Tavern on Westgate, and Nana Flo’s Cafe in Maltby. You can also buy online via Facebook or email ntrg01@yahoo.com, with collection from Bramley. They regularly post their latest line-up of preserves, with jars priced at £2.20 for a small and £2.75 for a large.
Mel and Paul are always looking for more supporters to donate produce, sugar or jars. Again, get in touch via Facebook or email to find out how to get involved.
