On 4 August, the Swan & Lion brand will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary!! How time flies when you are having fun.

I thought it might be a good idea to have a bit of a recap of how Swan & Lion came about and have a look back at some milestones of our first 10 years.

So, how did it all begin? When I moved to Japan, I was working from home, working for a film company. It had it’s perks, like the many overseas business trips to film festivals and markets, but despite all that glamour, the core of the job involved being on the computer all day, negotiating contracts and working my way through the hundreds of emails that welcomed me in my inbox every morning. Cooking was my way to take a break, to get out of the house and have a look around the supermarkets and vegetable shops in my local area at that time, Kichijoji. I became interested in the different seasonal products that Japan had to offer and found ways to use them to make traditional British chutneys, pickles, jams and marmalade. My favourite supermarket for finding fruit and veggie treasures was Tsurukame Land, which was actually owned by UK supermarket chain Tesco for a few years. Which meant I could also pick up a packet of British digestive biscuits with my cauliflowers!

Marmalade was the first recipe that I started to really focus on. Foraging for the bitter orange natsumikan became an annual custom. In the winter months of February and March, I would cycle around residential areas, searching out natsumikan trees with my friend Michael. Michael spoke excellent Japanese and with his natural charm was able more often than not to persuade the owner to let us pick some fruit in return for some jars of marmalade that we would drop off a few weeks later. I tried many different styles of marmalade recipe until I fixed on the recipe I liked the most. And this is the recipe I still use now.

I started to write down all the various recipes I was testing in a notebook, with tasting notes, comments on colour, texture and other things I thought were important. I still have that recipe book and use it from time to time. A month or so ago I made an ume chutney and found 5 different recipes, with my detailed notes. The 2023 version turned out well, with a nice natural sourness from the ume.

It was in 2012 that I started to wonder whether these jarred products had potential as a business idea in Japan. I tested the chutneys and pickles out on my Japanese friends at hanami parties, picnics and home parties and the sweet and sour combinations were popular with the Japanese palate. So I decided to go for it and started to work on a brand design and name. I struggled coming up with a name that I liked and focused on the logo design instead. I wanted it to be traditional English but somehow lighthearted and fun. Using a coat of arms style of design allowed me to achieve this.

The elements I chose represent periods of my life, my ethos and the origins of my brand, but all in a tongue in cheek kind of way. I mocked a design using images printed from the internet and these were transformed into a pencil drawn draft design by an extremely talented illustrator I was introduced to, Erica from Nuico Doll Studio. Erica is a soft sculpture artist and you can check out (and buy!) here work here: http://nuico.info/

Erica’s design was then digitalised by graphic designer Yumi Kohsaka from design studio the Pleiades. Yumi specialises in music and fashion and did a great job with my logo design. Yumi also designed the product labels for my first products – Natsumikan Marmalade, Tomato Chutney, Piccalilli and Sweet Corn Relish. You can check her out (and hire her!) here: www.thepleiades.net

So what exactly does the Swan & Lion logo design represent?

• The Lion – the lion has been used as a symbol for England since medieval times and here represents my English roots.
• The Reggae Collar – represents my love of reggae music, with the lion also being a symbol in the rastafari movement.
• The Swan – prior to Japan, I lived in Sydney, Australia for many years. The Sydney Swans were and still are by beloved Australian Rules football team. The swan represents my time in Australia.
• South Melbourne Football Club – the swan is wearing a collar with the letters SMFC. Before being relocated to Sydney, the Sydney Swans were called the South Melbourne Football Club.
• Peace Dove – represents my hippy nature. Steve Jobs was asked early in his career whether he was a geek or hippy, to which he replied hippy. It is a way of thinking, not a style of clothing.
• Bicycle Chain – represents my passion for cycling. From the very first days and to now, my trusted bicycle is an integral part of Swan & lion operations.
• Japanese Matsu Tree – represents my life in Japan. I also love trees!
• Fruit & Vegetables – represent the first Swan & Lion products – chutney, pickles and marmalade.

Let’s have a pictorial look back at our first 10 years. Lots of fun memories here, and some that still scare me!

Just this last week, we catered an event for Manchester City, winners of the UK premier league and European champions. We assisted Manchester City to make classic British football food on a food truck under Tokyo Tower – pies, chips, mushy peas and gravy. And hot British tea! Three Manchester City players served the food to their fans – Erling Harland, John Stones and Cole Palmer. Very hot and great fun!

And so, a huge thank you to all our loyal customers and supporters for our first 10 years. We look forward to bringing you the best of British in the years going forward.