Swallowtail Preserves

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

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 🔥....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 🙏.

11/09/2026

Good morning friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you 😀. 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 🙂

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you. It's been another marmalade day. L...
09/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you. It's been another marmalade day. Looking forward to the Helmingham Autumn Show on Sunday, so we're pushing on with our popular lines.

I've been trying to work out why the marmalades are selling fast at the moment. I think a lot of people make their own in January, but at the end of summer perhaps the homemade marmalade has run out. That's one theory I have. I might be wrong.

We cooked some more oranges in the pressure cooker this afternoon. Jean and I are debating whether it will be whisky marmalade tomorrow or our dark marmalade with added treacle.... we'll sleep on it and decide in the morning.

Another must do for this weekend is our Rosehip Jelly. I just love making it, and can't wait to get started. We've been out and foraged some crab apples this evening....watch this space 😀.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Happy Sunday to you. We're all setup here at Earl Soham Village Hall for the Sl...
06/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Happy Sunday to you. We're all setup here at Earl Soham Village Hall for the Slow Living Fair. There's plenty of interesting stalls. It's cozy and friendly 🙂. A nice way to spend the day.

05/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. I hope all is well with you. We've had plenty of visitors today, so thank you to everyone that has supported us. It is much appreciated 👏.

Today's efforts.....Crab Apple Jelly.....a quick setter this one ..... and a good yield of 25 jars .... highly satisfactory. It's got a nice fresh and clean flavour and has set a pale pink colour with an onion skin tint. It looks delightful in the 8oz hex jars.

We are open today until 4pm, and tomorrow we will be over at Earl Soham for the Slow Cooked Food Fair. Enjoy your weekend 🙂.

04/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. We do prefer this cooler weather. It's much more conducive to cooking chutneys. Speaking of which.....this was today's effort being poured into tempered jars.....Hot Plum Chutney.....it's got a nice kick from Scotch Bonnets and lemon zest.

The plums were from Cotton. An early purple variety, hence the chutney has a deep colour. It was a pleasure to prepare....from start to finish....so thank you to John Bullock for the lovely fruit and to my long-suffering partner Jean, who puts up with all this stuff....I couldn't do it without her.

Thank you to everyone that visited Unit 5 today. It was nice to meet you all. We hope to see you again. We're open tomorrow from 10am to 4pm. Enjoy the rest of your day 🙂.

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Today's efforts.....Pink Grapefruit Marmalade for those who can enjoy Grapefruit....
03/09/2026

Good evening friends and followers 😊. Today's efforts.....Pink Grapefruit Marmalade for those who can enjoy Grapefruit. About 20% of people over the age of 40 can't have it, because of blood pressure tablets or statins, which is a shame. The majority can though, so it's worth making.

Thank you to everyone that visited Unit 5 today. It was great to see you all 😀. We will be open again tomorrow and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. On Sunday we're taking a trip out to Earl Soham Village Hall for the Slow Cooked Food Fair. I like going there. The kitchen serves lunch, so you haven't got to worry about making a packup. Really looking forward to it.

Have a good evening 🙏.

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you. The beginnings of this year's Cra...
02/09/2026

Good afternoon friends and followers 😊. Just a quick update from the kitchen for you.

The beginnings of this year's Crab Apple Jelly on the go. The apples are definitely lacking juice this year, because of the dry weather. So we'll have to cook and strain another batch of apples tomorrow. We should then have a respectable volume of syrup to go into the next step.

We've also jarred a batch of Lemon and Lime Marmalade today.....so there's a lovely citrus aroma in the Unit. Because of an issue with our large induction hob (which is going back for repair), we've cooked a little less than usual....the same great flavour though 👍.

Have a nice day. Hope to see you again soon 😊.

29/08/2026

Good morning friends and followers 😊. An update from the kitchen at Unit 5.

Blood Orange Marmalade climbing ominously up the pan 😬. In the absence of my large induction hob (it's a long story!) and 19 liter pan it's a case of reducing the heat every now and again, but it's getting there 👌. Made with Spanish Sanguinello oranges, sourced through SJI Greengrocers of Old Newton. Should be really tasty.

We're still serving Nozeco and biscuits, so that you can enjoy a treat whilst you shop and chat 🙂. Weather permitting we'll be open this evening too...

Have a lovely day 😀

Address

Bacton
Stowmarket
IP144

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Swallowtail Preserves posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category