‘Preserving serves as an ethical means of giving food longevity’ – meet Kylee of Newton & Pott

If you dream of becoming a foodie creative or small business owner, you’ll be pleased to meet Kylee Newton; owner, creator and all-round boss of renowned preserves company, Newton & Pott. Based in a tiny Hackney kitchen, each Newton & Pott jar is jam-packed (excuse the pun) with natural ingredients and labelled with a familiar handwritten scrawl that highlights the company’s personal flair and passion for delicious flavour. While coming up with original and unexpected flavour combinations, Newton & Pott merges the best of both worlds by still practising traditional artisan pickling and preserving methods. In between all of this jam-making brilliance, Kylee has also published her own cookbook, The Modern Preserver.

Who’s the food-loving person behind Newton & Pott?

Newton & Pott was founded by me, Kylee Newton. I’ve been cooking since I was 12; my sisters and I would have a night to make the family meal. I remember sitting on the kitchen floor scanning through all my mother’s Maggie cookbooks from the ’80s, and taking such joy in what I was going to prepare for my sister and her that week. My sisters can’t remember this task, but it resonated with me. I think this home-schooled education was the birth of my passion for food.

Tell us about Newton & Pott … where did it begin and what’s it all about?

At Newton & Pott we make jams, pickles and chutneys. It began by making chutney and has grown over the last four years into all things preserved. We follow the seasons and like to think we are saving them in jars for the later months when there’s less access to seasonal fruits and vegetables. It’s not a new concept. In fact, it’s one that has been around for centuries and is the pure survival of some nations, but we feel it’s an important concept to continue for the future of food. It began as a means to waste less. I thought of getting into baking, but got disheartened at the thought of throwing out unsold produce at the end of the day. Preserving serves as an ethical means of giving food longevity and saving the season.

What inspired your love of jam-making?

I want to eat strawberries in winter and rhubarb in summer, and jam allows me to do this. At Newton & Pott we like to have fun with our flavour combinations, thinking carefully how the palate works and what matches are married. We mix pear and lavender, apricot and amaretto – first I get inspired by the fruits available and then get creative with the flavour matches.

Who are some of your favourite foodie Instagrammers?

This is hard: there are so many amazing creative Instagrammers out there doing beautiful things. I have made some great friends through Instagram. These are my favourites: @felicityspector, @clerkenwellboyec1, @symmetrybreakfast, @lily_vanilli_cake, @loveleluu, @oliver_rowe_london, @oliaherules and @26grains. Just to name a few!

When you’re not creating preserves of your own, which recipes do you use the most?

I have so many cookbooks, and I love them all. I like to shop at markets and cook seasonal produce, buying as local as possible. Cookbooks inspire me, but I always find myself going off page and making it up as I go. I’m great at creating dishes out of what’s left in the fridge or cupboard, ‘fridge foraging’ as I like to call it. So salads and soups get made a lot, I also love hearty food like tagines or casseroles that make use of modern ingredients.

You’re based in London; what are your favourite places to eat in your city?

My husband and I try to go to a new place every month. We have a super long list of places we would love to eat at, and we like to do both high and low.

Som Saa if you’re not afraid of a bit of heat.

Tayyabs is best for Pakistani food. The restaurant is renown for their curries and mango lassi.

Carousel because I love their revolving chefs, you can book into favourites from London and beyond!

Raw Duck because I like that I don’t leave feeling overfull. The menu is refreshing and inventive (and there’s lots of pickles and ferments!).

Bleeker for the best burger and milkshakes.

Uyen Luu is a weekly supper club in Hackney by Regents Canal, the food is authentic Vietnamese with a fusion feel.