Ledbury - a jewel of a market town in 'The Three Counties'.

We are lucky enough to live on the edge of the Malvern Hills and the borders of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire & Worcestershire.

It is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The annual Three Choirs Festival attracts thousands of people from across the world to listen to wonderful music - and enjoy our beautiful views.

When we leave the Herefordshire side of the Malverns and commute the 8 miles to our Worcestershire customers on the other side of the hill, this is the view we see. Read on to see how our location inspires us, our product range, the names of our products - and some other very talented people ...

We never, ever take this view for granted, but we are not the only ones to be inspired by our location ...

Elgar lived in Great Malvern - his bike rides around the hills and meditations whilst seated on Malvern Common inspired his composition 'Enigma Variations'.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning at Hope End in Ledbury and took lifelong inspiration from it's beauty. A Deserted Garden relives her playtime in the garden on the edge of the hill with her beloved dog.

John Masefield, Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967. Exiled to sea by his aunt at the tender age of thirteen following the death of his parents. His famous Sea Fever and Cargoes poems were inspired by these travels, but he also eulogised his adored birthplace in his poetry.

W H Auden lived and taught at The Downs School in nearby Colwall. It was where, in 1933, he experienced his "Vision of Agape".

Laurie Lee walked out from nearby Cold Slad one midsummers morning some eighty years ago to discover the adventure of civil war in Spain. His Cider with Rosie play celebrates his childhood memories.

The Dymock Poets walked the woods and landscape of Ledbury and Dymock in the calm days before the outbreak of World War One. It was an inspirational place for the poets, who included Ivor Gurney, Rupert Brookes, Edward Thomas and Robert Frost.

We like to think that some of this passion for our beautiful surroundings and environment finds it's way into our range - not just through the local produce we use, but also in the celebration of our wonderful three counties through our products:

Cider with Rosie Mustard - made to Delia's own recipe. Featuring the superlative Old Rosie Cider from the nearby Weston's Cider Mill and fresh bramley apples - the name was inspired by the Laurie Lee play.

Ledbury Farmhouse Pickle - featuring bramley apples and tomatoes. A celebration of our wonderful home town and the local tradition of preserving and pickling.

Herefordshire Apple Chutney - featuring bramley apples and onions. A celebration of the Herefordshire - the home of the Apple, Cider and all things fruity.

Worcestershire Plum Chutney - featuring plums for flavour partnered with apples for texture. A celebration of the plum and the county synonymous with it - think Evesham, think Pershore ... think plum!

We do hope you enjoy exploring our beautiful area - through our products - as much as we enjoyed creating them!

It's not just our locality that we love to celebrate - we also love history and culture. Our founder, Delia, happens to be a writer and is just as passionate and imaginative in the naming of our products as in the creation of them.

Which is how Cheltenham Officer's Chutney™ got it's name. In the 19th century through to the ending of British rule in India in 1947, Cheltenham became known as the "Anglo-Indian's Paradise." Those who had served in India came to Cheltenham to retire and became known as the 'curry-eating colonels.' Our chutney is true to it's Indian roots and so Delia named the award-winning chutney for it's local and historical connection with the curry-eating colonels.

It also helps to explain how our newest relish became Raffles Tiger Relish™. It was named for the last wild tiger of Singapore (which was shot in 1909 in the billiard room of the Raffles Hotel). Delia wanted a name that would capture the essence of it's Asian inspiration. She also wanted the tiger to live on forever (yes, she is a little eccentric - we just humour her!). And so Raffles Tiger Relish™ (and the Wild Tiger Toastie) was born. Mind you, some people say it creeps up on you like a tiger ...

On a serious note, it does help to bring our products alive so you can experience them in the same way that we do. We do hope you enjoy reading about them as much as Delia does writing about them!

If all this sounds a little 'empire' then then you may have been misled.

Our intention is to celebrate the wonderful world we live in - our historial roots as well as a comtemporary fusion of traditional British and World Cuisine.

We also celebrate the tradition of preserving, for which our local area is nationally famous. But did you know that many of our traditional British preserving methods actually hail from Asia and the Far East?

The recipe for Picalilli 'To pickle Lila, an Indian Pickle' was first published in England in 1694. As the recipe suggests, it came from India.

The name 'Ketchup' derives from 'Ke-tsiap'. Originally a Chinese and South-East Asian dipping sauce (made from the pickling brine from fish or vegetables). English sailors brought it home and we devised our own version from mushroom, walnuts - and then tomatoes.

The name 'Chutney' originates from 'Chatni'. An Indian relish made from fresh fruits and spices, it's literal translation as 'finger licking'. Brought back to Europe by early British Colonists, it was adapted for our indigenous fruits, vegetables and palate.

We like to celebrate this long historical connection through the naming of our products. And hence, Sir Clive's Piccalilli™ celebrates the pickling process we learnt from our Indian cousins. Just think how boring a ham sandwich would have been had we not adopted this essential skill!