Life lately & notes about that almost empty jar.

I’ve been a little quiet lately.

Wow life has been full. Is it just me ? 

PS if you have just come here for the jam pairing suggestion & vinaigrette tips you can scroll down I won't take offence :)

Motherhood: Split between glorious moments of pure play and also baking cakes at 6am because we forgot it was the last day of the term (yup that's today)

At home we currently are in that amazing toddler age where every second is about learning a new trick - hello potty training - goodbye clean floors hahah

The growing business: seems like we are in a similar age actually funny enough! :)

In the last year, it’s like we’ve gone from walking confidently at home…
to suddenly running in the park with proper grown-ups.- are you still following my metaphore? hihi. 

Well we have taken on some proper big steps and now we are making sure we have the right tools to continue our growth! So my life has been all about ERP, CRM, and OMG this is a lot of numbers. 

And somewhere in between, trying to still be… me.

Bottom line, IT HAS BEEN FUUUULLL

And then… my mum arrived

And it reminded me of something I don’t always allow myself to feel:
Living in South Africa has given me everything. But being far from family is also freaking hard sometimes. You get used to it, but you never really get used to it. You know?

Anyways: With her around i reconnected with cooking in a different way. Well letting her treat us with delicious family recipes and cooking in a more simple & intuitive way. 

This is where i'm going with all of this! STOP THE SCROLL 

The sad jar

There is always a jar at the back of the fridge.
Not empty, not full. Just… waiting.

Usually, it ends up forgotten.

But not in 2026 fam! Rather than finishing it on toast, give it a new life.

I personally grabbed that sad little jar of Orange & Cardamom marmalade!

Directly in the jar, I added:

• a squeeze of lemon
• a generous dash of olive oil - currently going through litters of Terre Paisible
• a pinch of salt
• my fav pepper shaker 

Closed the lid. Shook it. (booty included)

And just like that, the vinaigrette of your life is here (plus no extra dirty bowl)

Spread that on a large plate of roasted beetroot, avocado, fresh mozzarella…Waou (with french accent)

Let the jam guide you

What I love about this is that the salad follows the jam, not the other way around.

Still have some Fig & Lavender jam? It naturally calls for something deeper, like goat cheese, a few toasted walnuts, something slightly bitter like rocket.

Some Onion & Rosemary left? (from that baked camembert recipe) : throw it on potato salad, with parslay and bacon! 

Leftover from strawberry jam? Think baby spinach, mini mozza balls, balsamic vinegar ! There is no rule here, you're the artist.

The jar becomes the starting point, and everything else is possible.

My extra tip: everything is saved

Got a little piece of sourdough hardening in the bread box? 

Cut it. Toast it with olive oil and herbes de Provence. Turn it into croutons.

Side note: My father used to call me “crouton”.
And every time I make them, it feels like i'm cooking with him. 

There full circle with my mum story :)

so tell me in the comment which jams you will be turning into sauce! 

 

Oh and on another note: 

We are still celebrating 9 years of Leo’s Little Jars.

Nine years of jars, of markets, of growth, of women building something meaningful together.

For a few more days, we are offering:

• 9% off the entire website
• Buy 9 jars, get the 10th for free

A way to continue the story, in your kitchen.

Thank you for your continuous support

With love, as always, Léo