Best in Dorset - producers of preserves

Our producers of preserves are:

Dorset Cottage Foods

Dorset County Bee Keepers

Dorset Honey and Cider

H&G Land

Mrs Pook's Kitchen

New Forest Bee Products

Preserving Traditions

A bit about Preserves

Before the advent of refrigerators and freezers there were three preservatives: vinegar, salt and sugar. Vinegar and sugar in varying proportions are used to make pickles and chutneys and sugar to make jams and conserves. Pickles are really fruit or vegetables stored in vinegar, chutneys are formed from almost any vegetable of fruit cooked in vinegar and sugar. To be fully preserved jam needs to have a sugar content above 63%. None of these products should need to be kept in a refrigerator, but should be stored in a cool place, ideally a larder. Some preserves like lemon curd do not have a high sugar content and so should be refrigerated. Honey is largely sugar and will keep without any problems.

BEST IN DORSET - PRODUCERS OF PRESERVES - Jams, Pickles, Chutney, Honey

	Dorset Cottage Foods Lots of lovely home made preserves. Erica also supplies a number of retail outlets Markets: Weymouth, Verwood Erica Watt Gallop Cottage Spettisbury Blandford Dorset DT11 9ED	BACK
	Dorset County Bee Keepers Dennis and Steve Bawdon keep a large number of hives across the Cranborne chase and into Hampshire, producing an excellent local honey. Available both as natural runny or set. The honey is sold at Best in Dorset farmers’ markets by Mrs Pook’s Kitchen	BACK
	Dorset Honey and Cider Malcolm and Sylvia Creed-Castle come from Whitchurch Cannonicorum in the west of Dorset. Malcolm keeps bees to provide honey and makes cider from his own apples. Sylvia makes a fine range of chutneys. Markets: Weymouth Crabbs-Bluntshay Cottage Whitchurch Canonicorum Bridprot Dorset DT6 6RN Telephone: 01297489044	BACK
	H&G Land Hugh and Gillian Land produce honey from their own hives in the north of Dorset, together with a wide range of honey products including comb and candles. Markets: Specials only The Rowans North Street Bradford Abbas Sherborne Dorset DT9 6SA Telephone: 01935 422580	BACK
	Mrs Pook's Kitchen Janet Pook’s preserves have become a local legend. Starting from ‘family’ production she has kept to very small scale and her jams, marmalades and chutneys are simply the best. Markets: All markets, contact at Best in Dorset	BACK
	New Forest Bee Products Chris Cleal has kept bees in the New Forest area for many years and Jean his wife has been making preserves. They produce many useful bee products Markets: Boscombe, Wareham, Weymouth, Verwood 24 Testwood Place Totton Southampton SO40 3BE Telephone: 02380 863653	BACK
	Preserving Traditions Information coming soon	BACK

Dorset Honey and Cider

Malcolm and Sylvia Creed-Castle come from Whitchurch Cannonicorum in the west of Dorset. Malcolm keeps bees to provide honey and makes cider from his own apples. Sylvia makes a fine range of chutneys.