Swallowtail Preserves

Swallowtail Preserves We are a family run business producing handmade preserves in Bacton, Suffolk.

Good morning friends and followers 😊. Here we were taking a break from the dining car at Paddock Wood, for the locomotiv...
30/09/2026

Good morning friends and followers 😊. Here we were taking a break from the dining car at Paddock Wood, for the locomotive Mayflower to take on water. A fellow traveller kindly took this photo of Jean and I.

It's been a wonderful day, starting at 7.15am this morning at Stowmarket Station. We're just going to turn in. Looking forward to welcoming you to Unit 5 tomorrow. We'll be open a little later than usual at 11am.

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊.  It was good to see so many people at Finbows Yard today, enjoying this fine wea...
26/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. It was good to see so many people at Finbows Yard today, enjoying this fine weather πŸ˜€. Thank you for your continued support and interest in what we do.

Our Bullace Jam has landed, it's on the shelves and ready to spread on your toast. They are small wild plums, similar to mirabelles and damsons, and they make great jam, chutney and liqueurs.

Today was all about Rhubarb and Vanilla Conserve, and it was a good way to finish a productive week. Most people have had Rhubarb and Ginger, but fewer are familiar with Rhubarb and Vanilla.....yes friends, Swallowtail Preserves dares to be different.

We should update you on our opening hours next week. Wednesday we're going on a trip out, so we'll be open Thursday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend πŸ˜€

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊.  Thank you for your visits today, and all your support. I love cooking on the wi...
24/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Thank you for your visits today, and all your support.

I love cooking on the wild side. These bullace plums make an excellent jam, although we needed a cup of strong coffee after picking all the stones out. During rationing people used wild fruit a lot more, and it wasn't seen as quirky or different. It's certainly delicious ..... sweet and sharp with a nice almond aroma. Ideally you'd serve it on buttered toast or crumpets .... it spreads nicely.

The jam should be available on Saturday. I have to test the sugar content and label the jars, and I have to give it the hobnob test of course πŸ˜„.

Tomorrow new windows are being fitted to the Unit, but we'll try to keep disruption to a minimum . Hopefully the fitters will be finished by lunchtime πŸ™. We're also swapping some of the furniture in the shop. Have a good evening friends 🧑. See you soon 😊.

23/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. We're still using the glut of pears! This Gingered Pear and Date Chutney is ticking along nicely. It's a different flavour to the Pear and Walnut Chutney we made last week. It's not quite as sweet and it's spicier. Once again, it's on a 6kg scale. It needs to be stored for 4 to 6 weeks. Ample time to develop before Christmas πŸ˜€.

Unit 5 is open until 4pm today and the 10am to 4pm Thursday to Saturday. Hope to see you again soon 😊.

Good evening friends and followers 😊.  Happy Friday to you. It's the end of our week of cooking today, so it's the right...
18/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Happy Friday to you. It's the end of our week of cooking today, so it's the right thing to do, to tell you about our endeavours at Unit 5.

This morning, we boiled our Rowan Jelly to setting point. It yielded nearly 30 beautiful jars of crimson jelly. We were so pleased. It's turned out so well. We were determined to make it a zero waste day, as far as possible, so we sieved all the fruit pulp from the jellymaking, which gave us a bright orange puree. Before the close of play, this puree was transformed into a delicious, sweet and spicy Rowan and Bramley Apple Chutney. We only discarded the fruit skins and pips. It was very satisfying 😌, but we were grateful that it was foodie Friday at Wyverstone Village Hall πŸ˜….

Our ancestors believed that Rowan, with it's bright red berries, kept evil away, and it was planted in churchyards to prevent the dead from rising. There's certainly a lot of folklore associated with it.

Unit 5 will be open from 10am to 4pm tomorrow, and we will be at the Cotton Coffee Morning from 9.30am to 1pm as well. On Sunday we're taking a trip out to Bardwell Tithe Barn for the eagerly awaited Craft Fair. Take care. Good night 😴.

Good evening friends and followers 😊.  Thank you to everyone who has visited Unit 5 this week.  Your support is invaluab...
17/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Thank you to everyone who has visited Unit 5 this week. Your support is invaluable to us. We hope you enjoy your purchases.

An update from the kitchen for you ..... a highly esteemed preserve for lovers of game ..... today was step one of this year's Rowan Jelly. The syrup is red with a hint of a violet colour. The finished jelly has a slight bitterness. Food pairings are sometimes surprising and venison with rowan jelly is one such match.

We will boil it to setting point tomorrow morning and jar it up. Today we also cooked a batch of Boxing Day Chutney. The first of 4 batches to be cooked in the next month.

Sleep well. Hope to see you again soon 😊.

Good evening friends and followers 😊. I hope you're well.  I just thought I would offer you an update from the kitchen a...
16/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. I hope you're well. I just thought I would offer you an update from the kitchen at Unit 5.

This Pear & Walnut Chutney has become an autumn ritual for us. It's now very popular, so each year we have to make a bit more. This year we started with 6kg of diced pears. With everything combined it was a large volume. It didn't come to the boil until 1pm, and we didn't jar up until 6.30pm. We had a break for a fish and chip supper, but cooking time totalled 4hrs......that's a lot of stirring! It will be available at the beginning of November.

It's the perfect partner for blue cheese.

Thanks to Leeann Steed and Julia Fowler for the pears 🍐. More chopping and dicing tomorrow for our Gingered Pear & Date Chutney.

Keep safe πŸ™. Enjoy your evening.

Good evening friends and followers 😊.  I thought I would update you on progress at Unit 5. We worked a half day today, a...
15/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. I thought I would update you on progress at Unit 5.

We worked a half day today, and spent our time cooking and jarring our East India Relish. It can only be made at this time of year. It needs fresh green tomatoes, which were the gift of my friend Keith Lummis. A lot goes into this pickle and it marinades for a while before cooking. It's got a fantastic flavour....it's quite hot πŸ”₯....and the vegetables keep some of their crunch. Yes friends, it ticks all the boxes.....

The Pickled Walnuts are now ready to go on sale. An English delicacy, you need a strong cheese with them, but they're also very good served with cold meat. I've never tried it, but some folk add them to their beef casseroles....sounds interesting.

The shop at Unit 5 will be open tomorrow from 10am to 4pm. Hope to see you soon and do enjoy the rest of the day 😊

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊.  Just an update for you about the last couple of days. I hope you're well and en...
14/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Just an update for you about the last couple of days. I hope you're well and enjoyed your weekend.

Yesterday we were at Helmingham Hall for the Autumn Plant Fair and Artisan Market. A really beautiful setting. The weather perked up in the afternoon and trade was brisk. Customers were definitely looking for things that they could not buy in the shops. So we sold out of Crab Apple Jelly, Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, Black Grape Chutney....all the unusual things. So we were happy 😊.

Today we were back in the kitchen cooking these lovely Damsons into a jam. Quite a mission 😬....but we've now got a plentiful supply for the next couple of months.

We're working a half day tomorrow, and then resting up in the afternoon and evening. The shop at Unit 5 will be open from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Saturday this week.

Have a good evening πŸ™.

11/09/2026

Good morning friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you πŸ˜€. This mornings efforts....Rosehip Jelly.....we were a bit short of syrup.....the crab apples didn't yield as much juice as we hoped. But it's a nice colour and flavour. We will be releasing it at Helmingham on Sunday.

Enjoy your day πŸ™‚

Address

Bacton
Stowmarket
IP144

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