De Raphael fig conserve — a French fig jam from Confitures Raphaël in Saint-Coulomb, Brittany, on the Côte d'Émeraude near Saint-Malo. Made with 64% fig, sugar, lemon and fruit pectin — a high fruit content that keeps the fig flavour at the front rather than burying it under sugar.

The conserve is thick, glossy and dark, with pieces of fig and visible seeds throughout. The texture is dense and spreadable — it holds its shape on a knife or a cracker without running. The flavour is concentrated fig: deeply sweet, honeyed, with a jammy richness and a slight brightness from the lemon that stops it being one-dimensional.

Fig conserve is one of the most useful things you can put on a cheese board. It works with almost everything in our cheese range — blues (Stilton, Fourme d'Ambert, Bleu d'Auvergne), hard aged cheeses (Parmigiano, Comté, Pecorino), soft cheeses (Brillat-Savarin, Baron Bigod, brie), and goat's cheeses. The sweetness cuts through salt and fat, and the fig flavour has enough complexity to complement rather than compete with what it sits alongside. It also works well with charcuterie — particularly Ibérico ham and cured sausages.

Once opened, keep it in the fridge.

Origin: Saint-Coulomb, Brittany, France

Ingredients: Fig 64%, sugar, lemon, gelling agent: fruit pectin.

Storage: Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.

Net: 250g