A love of food, creating and cooking it, inspired Mrs Savage to open Logans delicatessen in Norwich in 1992, which she owned and ran for 12 years.
 
Herbs such as mint, lavender, rose and bay are used to enhance the natural fruit flavours of her products. “The mint in our Raspberry & Mint Conserve really makes the raspberries sing,” she said.
 
A polytunnel on the farm is being used to grow herbs, including some unusual ones, such as agrimony, sweet cicely and sweet woodruff. In 2016, Mrs Savage will start to study for a degree in herbal medicine.
 
Meanwhile, Ali Williams, whose Jubberwacky business produces jams, mustards, chutneys and sauces, joined Essence Foods at Salle Moor in October and they are expanding into other barns on the farm.
 
The two businesses are currently in the throws of innovative product development and already have a wide range of recipes in their portfolios.
 
Essence Foods’ products are currently sold in seven Waitrose stores and online, as well as in some local shops, the nearest being Bawdeswell Garden Centre.
 
The jams are made with more fruit and less sugar than usual, for both taste and health reasons. The range includes strawberry and rose; blueberry and lavender; blackberry, plum and ginger; and marmalades, such as Seville and bay. Packaging is made from recycled materials.
 
Mrs Savage prefers to source ingredients locally. All the fruit has to be traceable in accordance with strict regulations, which include knowing what it has been sprayed with.
 
However, sourcing good fruit from not far away remains a challenge. Local fruit producers who can satisfy these requirements are encouraged to contact her.
 
She said that while it would be great to take small quantities from allotment holders, this is not practicable.
 
Essence Foods will soon be selling its products from a shop in a barn at Salle Moor Farm, where Simon Barker of the All Day Brewery Company intends to start a retail side to his business.