05/02/2012

All our products are made in small batches, by hand, on our family farm at Mevagissey. We use a traditional open pan cooking method and a farmhouse recipe, using no artificial preservatives, colourings, flavourings or setting agents.

Responding to customers’ demands for us to increase our conserve catalogue to include more than just Strawberry, in 2008 we began making Raspberry, Blackberry and Orange Marmalade. Following the example of the strawberry, these are also high fruit content and made without the use of artificial preservatives, gelling agents or sweeteners.

At Boddington’s Berries we source everything within the UK, from packaging to ingredients wherever possible. This ensures that we do our bit and support Britain.

We now offer the full range of conserves (listed below) in all jar sizes from 28g individual portions to 3.5kg catering pails – all of which can be bought online by clicking here.

STRAWBERRY CONSERVE
Our Strawberry Conserve is the flagship of our business, and is produced wherever possible using our own grown, hand-picked, fresh, whole fruit, and only lemon juice and sugar are added. When demand outstrips supply of our own fruit we use English strawberries from other growers where we can.

The finished conserve is packed with fruit - 80g of fruit to 100g of conserve. It is a very soft set and is delicious on scones and bread.

Boddington's Strawberry Conserve is delicious on scones, toast and crumpets. But it pays to experiment! You can add conserve to natural yoghurt, ice cream and rice pudding. And there's no better way to top a celebration sponge!

Our Strawberry Conserve was included in a hamper for the Queen, put together by Taste of the West for the Golden Jubilee.

To buy our delicious strawberry conserve click here or follow the links on the left under ‘Buy Online’.

RASPBERRY CONSERVE
Our second best seller is a beautifully fresh tasting raspberry extra jam, packed with raspberries: 65g in 100g of conserve. We are proud to say that it is produced using British whole fruits from a traditional recipe where only sugar is added.

If our raspberry conserve takes your fancy click here to buy online or follow the link under ‘Buy Online’ to the left of the page.

BLACKBERRY CONSERVE
Our fantastic blackberry conserve is a wonderfully deep coloured extra jam, packed with fruit. This blackberry conserve is made withBritish whole fruits (so does contain the pips), and has only sugar and lemon juice added – delightful on toast or with a cream tea.

To buy our mouth-watering blackberry conserve, simply click here, or follow the link to the left under ‘Buy Online’.

ORANGE MARMALADE
Boddington’s Berries gorgeous Orange Marmalade is a fine to medium shred marmalade. Bursting with fruit just like all our conserves, it is made without the use of any artificial setting agents. We use only oranges, and lemon juice with sugar – giving it a fantastic natural taste.

If Boddington’s Berries Orange Marmalade is the topping for toast that you’ve always wanted, you can click here to by online, or follow the link to the left of the page under ‘Buy Online’.

STRAWBERRY VINEGAR
So immediately you think strawberry vinegar on chips, we admit that chips aren’t its greatest companion. However, being a fruit vinegar, it makes an exciting salad dressing, either on its own, or mixed with your favourite oil. It’s also wonderful splashed over fish or game. For the adventurous, you could try it on ice-cream or inside trifles. Used as a cordial it is said to be very good for colds.

It’ll probably be something you’ve never tried before, so why not try it, and click here to buy online, or follow the link on the left under ‘Buy Online’.

SOME FACTS ABOUT CONSERVES
Strawberries are difficult to freeze, because they have high water content, and their cells are broken down if they are frozen. This causes them to collapse and lose their flavour, when defrosted, so the best way to keep them for enjoyment all year round is to preserve them.

'Preserve' is the term given to protecting food from decomposition, for long periods of time, By preserving seasonal fruits and vegetables, we are able to enjoy them at other times of the year.

Preserves are created when the right amount of acid, sugar and pectin are combined. All fruits contain some sugar and pectin, but strawberries, while high in sugar, have a low pectin content. To obtain a set conserve, other fruits must be added. We choose to use natural lemon juice, as this adjusts the acidity, allowing the conserve to set without tainting the flavour of the strawberries. We do not use artificial pectin or citric acid as we believe this adds an 'apple' flavour to the conserve.

Conserves are made by the gentle, slow cooking of whole fruit with sugar, which retains the whole fruit in a soft set.

Jam is a mixture of chopped or crushed fruit pieces and sugar, and has a firm set.


Preserves around the world

Middle East Strawberry Jam - from A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968) by Claudia Roden
• Hull 900g strawberries, preferably wild ones.
• Layer strawberries and 900g sugar in a large glass or earthenware bowl, or in a deep china dish.
• Leave them to macerate for 12 hours, or overnight.
• Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a large pan and add a little lemon juice, if you like.
• Bring to the boil very slowly, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or shaking the pan lightly, and skimming off the white froth as it rises to the surface.
• Simmer for 10 -15 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. (Wild strawberries will require only 5 minutes sometimes even less.)
• When the strawberries are soft, lift them out gently with a flat, perforated spoon and pack them into cleaned, heated glass jars.
• Let the syrup simmer for a little while longer until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon or, when it sets when tested on a cold plate.
• Pour over the strawberries and, when cool, close the jars tightly.

Mrs Roden suggests that jams such as this one are best eaten on their own, accompanied by a black coffee or a glass of cold water! Why not try it?


Wild Strawberry Jam from Siberia
• Gather 900g wild strawberries on a dry day.
• Roll the berries in a cloth, put them on a plate and sprinkle with a little sugar. Leave them to rest for a few hours.
• Cook 900g sugar with 600ml water, until thick.
• Add the berries.
• When they come to the boil, remove from the heat.
• When boiling stops, put them back on again until boiling restarts.
• Do this three times.
• Then cook the mixture over a very low heat until it is a heavy syrup.
• Pour into pots and cover when cool.
• The jam will be thick and very rich.

Try a spoonful over some cream cheese or in natural yoghurt

History of Conserves

While the precise origin of preserved fruit remains a matter of historical debate, it is known that jams, jellies, conserves and preserves are centuries old and have long been recognized, worldwide, for their fragrance and rich fruit taste.

The making of jam and jelly probably began centuries ago in the Middle East, where cane sugar grew naturally. It is believed that returning Crusaders first introduced jam and jelly to Europe. The word 'jelly' comes from the French word 'gelée' which means to congeal. The use of cane sugar to make jam and jelly can be traced back to the 16th century when the Spanish came to the West Indies where fruit preservation was already well established.

"'So enormous is the demand for strawberry jam that some of the great London houses convert from 50-100 tons of fresh strawberries into jam per day.'" David T. Fish, 'The Raspberry and Strawberry', 1882

Jam and Jelly Arrive in the US
By the late 17th century, books on jam making were being published in the United States. Early New England settlers preserved fruits with honey, molasses, or maple sugar. These jellies were thickened using pectin extracted from apple parings.

In 1917, a grape jam patent was issued to Paul Welch for the puréeing of grapes. He called the product 'Grapelade' and his entire production was purchased by the US Army and shipped to France for consumption by the troops during World War I. When the troops returned, they demanded more of this 'Grapelade,' and it was produced in quantity.

Jam and Jelly Today
In the UK, strawberry continues to be the most popular of all jams, with over 12,000 tonnes bought in Great Britain, in 1998.

In the US, approximately 1 billion pounds of fruit spreads are produced annually and the average American eats approximately 4.4 pounds a year.

While jams and jellies come in dozens of flavours and varieties, from the standard grape jelly to the more exotic chocolate jam, nine flavours account for more than 80 percent of total US production. The most popular, in order, are grape jelly, strawberry jam, grape jam, red raspberry jam, orange marmalade, apple jelly, apricot jam, peach jam and blackberry jam. An additional 28 flavors are commonly produced, but account for less than 20 percent of total production.

MAIL ORDER/BUY ONLINE
You can also order Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry preserves and Orange Marmalade for delivery by mail. Place your order either by clicking on the link below to print out the order form, or buy on line.

Fill out the mail order form and pop it in the post, including a cheque (made payable to Boddington's) for the total amount, including postage.

Please allow up to 14 days for delivery. Any damage must be notified within 48 hours of delivery. You will need to sign for your parcel of conserve when it arrives.