YOU could say that Elspeth Biltoft is jammy, and even she admits to a bit of luck.

But the maker of preserves says the secret of success is following tried and true recipes for jam making. From a converted barn near Masham, North Yorkshire, she produces chutneys, marmalades, relishes, lemon curds and, of course, jams that are rich in flavour.

Her products have been whetting the appetites of East coast Americans for some time. And now, following a visit by Dave Baron, a vice-consul at the British Consulate in Seattle, US, Elspeth is set to take the West coast of America by storm.

"My success is due to the fact that I wave the flag for traditional foods," said Elspeth. "I look to keep the best things about preserves and make sure they are fresh and full of flavour."

Her company, Rosebud Preserves, began exporting in 1991 after making contact with a distributor in Rhode Island on the East coast of the US.

"I've been very lucky really," said Elspeth, who employs six part-timers. "All I do is pack the boxes and deliver them to Bradford, from where they are shipped to the US. The distributor does everything else, he's been fantastic."

She exports 15 per cent of her product to the States, but that figure is set to grow. Mr Baron recently spent two days in North Yorkshire and met with more than a dozen companies considered to have products with export potential.

"There is an enormous market on the West coast for these types of products," he said. "We love anything that is of British or Celtic origin and there are even stores that are dedicated to selling these kinds of goods."

Rosebud Preserves has been helped with its exporting by Business Link North Yorkshire's Export Initiative, which is funded by the European Department fund and North Yorkshire TEC.