Tiptree Seasonal Fruits

Autumn Fruits with Wilkin & Sons

Today, Wilkin & Sons not only makes ‘Tiptree’ preserves, but it also has a flourishing fresh fruit business and multiple tea rooms in Essex.

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Min company-owned accommodation on the estate surrounding the factory and around 850 acres of Essex farmland produces grade one fruits and arable crops. Whilst Wilkin & Sons is best known for its Little Scarlet strawberries, fruit grown also includes plums, medlars, mulberries and quince.

Adoption of the most up-to-date farming techniques ensures that the farm is successful at growing exactly the right variety of high-quality fruit for the ‘jam factory’. The aim is to retain the flavour of the fresh fruit in the finished product. Conserving autumn fruits Fruit growing has been at the heart of Wilkin & Sons business for generations as the family were experienced farmers before making their first batch of strawberry conserve in 1885.

Today the farm continues the tradition of fruit growing, starting with the first crop of rhubarb in April, then traditional strawberries, followed by stone fruit through to the more unusual mulberries, quince and medlars. By autumn the pickers are gathering damsons, quince and medlars; trees that are often found as single specimens in country gardens across Essex. Visitors to the Tiptree Jam Museum will find a poster giving a monthly update on the harvest and the wildlife on the farm showing which fruit is being picked that month.

The 80-year-old damson orchard’s trees may look misshapen or “natural”, but they still provide a good crop of purple skinned fruit that is made into a rich conserve. Visitors to the jam museum can see the evolution of the conserves jam jars.

A Medlar in the orchard

Quince is a less well-known fruit in the UK, it’s similar to a pear in shape and is astringent when raw but once cooked with sugar the white flesh changes to a glorious pink. Quince Jelly and Quince Conserve are often used in meat sauces or added to apple pies. Whole quince have an amazing aroma.

The medlar, looks like an underdeveloped apple with a very hard skin, it is the last fruit to be picked as it needs the frost to soften the flesh (bletted). The old trees in a small orchard are not far from the outside museum where old farm machinery is displayed. Tiptree Jam Museum and Tea Room Visitors to the Tiptree Jam Museum, which is free to enter, can take a step back in time, with insights into jam making at Tiptree through the ages. A video helps to explain how the fruit is grown and illustrates traditional preserve-making techniques that continue to this day.

The Tiptree Tea Room, Jam Factory Museum and gift shop at the visitor centre are all located within the grounds of the current jam factory. Open seven days a week (closing only for the Christmas break) they offer the perfect autumnal day out. Discover more about the Tiptree Jam Museum by visiting: www. tiptree.com/tiptree-jam-museum. Alternatively, you can plan your trip to the Tiptree Tea Room here: www.tiptree.com/tiptreetearoom

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