Actually Good...spreading it on thick
from nut butters to jams
Welcome to Actually Good, a series that has been sitting in my drafts and brain for a while and is finally getting sent out into the world. As someone who makes a living thinking about and learning about food, bev and consumer brands, I try a LOT of stuff. And as a very opinionated gal, more often than not, I am not repeating a purchase or going back for seconds. This series is about the stuff that’s actually good so you can stop wasting your time and money on the meh. There are no rankings, no ratings or detailed rubrics and reviews, just sharing the tried, tested & trusted stuff. Not just buzzy or trendy, not just pretty packaging—it’s actually good!
xx Delaney
As an f&b publicist and food person at large, if there is a fun/indie/novelty snack or pantry brand on the shelf, the likelihood that I’ve tried it is pretty high. When it comes to spreads, that likelihood goes up by a lot. There was a point a couple years ago where I repped 3 different spread brands at a time! I was the publicist for the entire nut butter aisle it seemed. I became entrenched in that category, I was emailed from editors for spread specific stories and even landed a juicy Wall Street Journal piece for a client all about non-nut spreads! It was a time! Since then, I’ve worked with multiple other spread brands in a variety of ways but my roster has become more differentiated, however I am still very opinionated and well-researched on the best spreads out there.
In honor of one of my favorite limited edition spreads being restocked and doing a big clean out of my pantry, I wanted to share my Spreadify Top Charts.
Now, when I was drafting this list, things like fudge, caramel sauce, pesto, etc… entered the chat. For the sake of this post and to make sure it doesn’t become a mile long, the characteristics are as follows:
Must be in a jar (glass, plastic etc…)
Must sit on an aisle with the likes of PB, Jams etc… no refrigerated spreads or dips for this one (sorry toum and zhoug I love you)
Must be something I’ve re-purchased or gifted multiple times, not just a taste at an event or trade show
Okay, now that we know the rules, let’s dig in!
The spread that inspired this post! I interviewed Kate from Kate’s Ice Cream for a class project my senior year of college. At that time she had just launched her micro ice cream brand in Portland and now has shops all over the city-I was and am such a fan of what she’s built. I even ordered a giant box of ice cream to be shipped to my house over covid-I was committed. To my absolute delight back in 2020, an iconic Portland brand, Ground Up, that I love launched an LTO with Kate, Waffle Cone Butter! I was not really a nut butter aficionado at the time but ordered and became obsessed and ordered multiple jars when it was rereleased. It’s back again and it’s genuinely so so good. You need this.
Flipping the PB aisle upside down one jar at a time! My pals and former clients at OTP really are the cream of the crop when it comes to PB-all have a time and place (unsalted for the pups, smooth for the dressings, crunchy for snacking IMO) but I’ve been on a crunchy kick lately! A little texture never hurt! Just Argentinian Peanuts and Patagonian Sea Salt but it really does taste like there is so much more in there-in a good way. A PB pantry staple.
Jamagansett Raspberry Chocolate (Also love the Raspberry Vanilla)
Wow wow wow.
Soom Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Tahini
Bring a jar and a spoon pls. Soom was one of my early clients and let me tell you, getting people excited about this specific jar was not a heavy lift. It’s everything you want from Nutella but better. Crunchy sea salt, super chocolatey with a light nutty tahini flavor (but no nuts!) It’s perfect for a late night snack on toast with butter, a hyper fixation for a while, I love it with berries and on ice cream. It’s definitely more drippy than a Nutella or traditional PB but with a good stir and shake (really get in there) it’s perfect to spread, drizzle and dip on almost anything. I always have a jar in my pantry.
Marmelade Grove Pixie Tangerine
I have to admit something. I am all about citrus but I don’t always love citrus in desserts. I’ve never loved an orange creamsicle or a lemon bar or even a key lime pie, It’s just never been my thing. Because of that I’ve steered away from citrus jams/marmalades etc… but when I tried this Marmalade at a client event, I was blown away. So much so that I even had it at my company’s 5 year birthday party for guests to bring home. The packaging is stunning and so giftable but it’s also so good you’ll want to use it every day.
Big Spoon Roasters Fiji Ginger Almond Butter & Lum Lum Thai Curry Peanut and Cashew Butter
I have tried many Big Spoon Roasters Nut Butters in the past and all are fantastic but none have stopped me in my tracks like these two. I just tried both at the Summer Fancy Food Show and I can’t pick a favorite but I needed both (in fact I added them to my cart immediately after getting home from the show). Lum Lum tastes like the best peanut satay sauce but would be equally at home with some apples as it would in a dressing or as a spring roll dip. Fiji Ginger similarly blew my socks off. The ginger leans fresh and spicy like real ginger instead of warm and cozy like a lot of more autumn-focused ginger/spiced flavors. The little chunks of crystalized ginger bring it over the top.
spread the love!
xx,
Delaney
**some of these brands have been clients at one point or another but all I have bought on my own since and stand by the fact that they are delish!