Jam today in Tiptree

Thanks to everyone at Wilkin & Sons for a great tour of the Tiptree jam-making factory, the details of which will appear in my forthcoming book The Joy of Essex. Your man got to wear a white hairnet and coat just like they did on The Apprentice. The abiding memory is of steam and sugar in the air, pools of water, oranges and strawberries everywhere and conveyor belts of lovely orange marmalade heading for Saudi Arabia, Australia, Italy, and numerous other unexpected places. Should Essex ever declare independence then Tiptree could provide its main industry, along with that tractor plant in Basildon that Cameron and Clegg went to. The Queen visited Tiptree in 2010 to celebrate 125 years of jam-making and Tiptree jam has even received a mention in Kerrang! magazine as the Chemical Brothers are big fans. My family were very impressed with the samples I took home, including the excellent Lemon Curd, Marmalade with Malt Whisky and Strawberry and Loganberry jams and of course the Tiptree tea-towel. Worth visiting the museum and tea-rooms on site for a very English experience from a proper family company. And look out for the signature Little Scarlet strawberry jam, unique to Tiptree and James Bond's favourite conserve, which arrives in July. Clearly the future is orange (marmalade).