Monday 3 January 2011

Tiptree Jams and Preserves

New Year's Eve was a good time as we did what we have done for some years now. Spent it next door with about 40 people from our street and house churches. A really nice meal with a choice of Salmon or Chicken with a side table full of goodies before a great choice of desserts. This was followed by 'fun' games until about 11.0 pm when we entered a time of praise and worship and prayer. As the New Year ushers in it's time for hugs and greetings all round. What a blessing.

So now it is 3rd January and although the Christmas tree is still up I'm thinking of the many projects I would like to tackle in the coming months while we still have short and often dark days.I am not going to list them - I have done that before and many of them have not changed because of the general busyness of life.

For now we will visit a tearoom with a difference. This is a place we always visit for tea if we are in the area. I am not posting photos of the tearoom today (I have done that before) because these tearooms are situated on the Tiptree estates where there is some added interest.

An old delivery van
  

Tiptree, the home of the Wilkin family who have farmed here for nearly three hundred years. The very first Tiptree conserves were made here in 1885 and to this day they still specialize in fruit growing on the Tiptree estates.


 
The choice is amazing and only a little of it shown here

One of the orchards - this visit was late summer 

There is a small museum on site showing how jam (jelly for USA readers) was made over a century ago







My purchases of the day

One can get a nice lunch here and
afternoon tea comprises sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and
 cakes all served on a three tiered plate

Happy New Year to everyone who visits

20 comments:

Winifred said...

Happy New Year Barbara

Hope it brings good health for you and Alan. Sounds like you had a really enjoyable New Years Eve.

What an interesting story around your tea room visits. Thanks for this. I'm having problems with my Internet connection and also with my computer power pack which are the reasons I haven't blogged. Using hubsband's laptop at the moment. Might have to invest in a new laptop if I don't get a new power pack. This will be the fifth in five years!

Terri said...

We do have jelly - made with only juice and that makes a nice clear spread, but we also have jam and preserves - don't ask me what the difference is there. They both have the pulp of the fruit as well as the juice used in the making. I love it all and made some when younger and still living at my parents'. Now I have to go for the spread made with gelatin and no added sugar. Still good.
Thanks for the tour. I love your blog. <3 Terri from California, U.S.A.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

I enlarged the last photo to take a closer look. You have some rather exotic choices there! Curds are not well known here, though I have seen lemon curd available in specialty stores. Green fig conserves I make every August from the little fig tree in my garden. I don't care much for it but the musician loves it!

All the colors are warm and lovely, and you have plenty of delicious enjoyment ahead of you!

Elizabethd said...

We often wish that we could get Tiptree in France. It really is a good traditional English jam.

Needled Mom said...

I can almost smell those delicious jams being prepared. Now....all I need are some fresh scones and I would be set. Yum!!!!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I always thought the difference between jam and jelly was that Jam had bits of fruit in it and jelly didn't as it is made from the fruit juice only. We do have both here. I do much prefer jam, especially strawberry jam. I don't know if Tiptree is ever available here, I'll have to keep my eye out and see if I find it. Happy New Year!

Vee said...

Oh I'd love to have several jars of everything offered. We enjoy a jam covered piece of toast with our afternoon tea. So now, along with all your other readers, I am wondering what the difference is between jam and jelly in England. Here it is as others have said. Jam is my favorite, but jelly is nice, too, jewel colored and jiggly. It's fun to think of a family business owned for over three hundred years. We think it's a long time if it's over 100.

Deanna said...

Dear Barb,
May you have a wonderful new year!!!
What a good year 1885 was. Delicious jellies and our old house came to life then.

One day closer to Spring,
d

Bishop Stone said...

Happy New Year to you. What a lovely way to spend your new years.
Those jams and preserves look fantastic. I am much more of a jam person. I like the texture of seeds and peels found in jam. Blackberry jam has to be my favourite.

Willow said...

Mmmm, those jams look yummy. There are so many hidden treasures in Essex.

Happy New Year to you and Alan too!

Linda said...

What lovely memories your post brings back today, of travelling to Tiptree and the delicious jams from there. We didn't live that far away and visited often.

Lorrie said...

Yummy looking preserves. I usually make my own, but some of the more exotic ones are fun to purchase.

Happy New Year, Barbara!

Gwendolyn said...

Scones and jelly and tea! That sounds "heavenly." A Blessed New Year to you too!

Patsy said...

2011 life sure comes at you fast now that I am getting on.

Sue Seibert said...

Your New Year's sounds wonderful. We met with out guitarists to make a memorial movie for a friend. As to the jams...we call jam here a conserve of sorts...a jelly is clear, and I am going to look for this brand in Central Market that has a lot of English conserves.

a woman who is said...

So glad to hear of your New Year's Eve celebration. I am always a little jealousy of your great house church =) God may have some things in store for us along those lines this year.

Happy New Year and hope you get a lot of things done on your list this year!

paru's_circle said...

happy new year!! enjoy your jams
;-)

talesfromagarden said...

Happy New Year Barbara and Alan! Lovely collection of jams there such different flavours,love the green fig one!

paru's_circle said...

thanks for your favourable comments on my blog.. regards..Px

Bernideen said...

These are so delightful and I love the labels!