Enter a jar (or two) of your best home-made jam in Rippon Lea Estate’s Stone Fruit Jam Making Competition and show off your jam making skills.
To make things more interesting, we’ve added a twist! Share with us the inspiration for your jam. Do you use a favourite family recipe, or have memories of making jam with a beloved relative? Whatever your story we would love to hear it.
We are offering some great prizes, including our “Best in Show” prize of a High Tea Experience for two in the Rippon Lea Ballroom.
Judging will take place on Friday 12 May and winners will be announced on Sunday 14 May at Rippon Lea Estate as part of our Botanica Festival.
Jam stories from our entrants so far
Robyn – Apricot Jam
For almost 40 years, I’ve been picking apricots from my 100-year-old tree and making jam. I use the recipe from my Home Economics/Cookery book, “Cookery the Australian Way”, printed in 1966. Three of my seven grandchildren, aged from 24 to 14, have requested lessons from Nannie on how to make apricot jam. They have been taught how to sterilize the jars, remove the stones, and bottle the jam. Traditionally, a Devonshire Tea must be provided shortly thereafter, in order to sample the apricot jam on hot scones, with cream and a large pot of Earl Grey tea. The ‘good’ tea cups come out of the crystal cabinet!
I have fond memories of my mother making jam when I was a child – that wonderful fragrance of warm jam filled our home.
My apricot tree is ancient, but it still provides an absolute bounty of delicious fruit each year. It has split down the centre now, but even as half a tree, it produces enough fruit to make plenty of jam to cater for 7 grandchildren, 2 daughters, 1 son-in-law and my 2 sisters!
Gary – Cherry Jam
This cherry jam was lovingly made by four generations in my family. My grandmother, father, myself and my two-year-old daughter. My grandmother grew up during the Holocaust. Thankfully she was able to flee and spent her youth in relative safety with her sisters. She grew up making this exact recipe with her mother and sisters and eating this syrup-style jam over cake, blintzes and porridge is one of her childhood best memories. This tradition was continued with my father and me. She won’t be here forever, but I hope this tradition of shared sweetness lives on.
Kathy – Organic Blood Plum Jam
In my 20s, I wasn’t interested in gardening; the closest I got to a garden was a beer garden!
The old plum tree laden with heavy fruit lost two of its limbs over the last 5 years, with heavy winds. And the fruit was still green – not happy Jan!
Dad planted the tree over 50 years ago. He and Mum are no longer with us and I am now the custodian of this tranquil place. People say, “redo the garden, chop down a few trees,”… but it would be like cutting my heart out.
Elena May – Plum Jam
The inspiration of this jam comes from my mother. I came to Australia two years ago and before I left, we made some time to create a plum jam. It was a wonderful day and reminded me much of my childhood when we would spend Sunday’s foraging for fruit and then turn it into jams and fruit crumbles. The flavour is inspired by my favourite time of year – Christmas – when we would have family gathered around. As my family are a world away now in the UK, whenever I feel home-sick I create jams inspired by home and inspired by flavours that my adopted home has to offer, always served with scones and a cup of tea.
David – Apricot Jam
My jam making journey began with enjoying the great preserves my father used to make. He enjoyed the great pleasure of sharing his homemade delights with family and friends.
When Dad passed away the stocks of jams, marmalades and other tasty produce gradually disappeared much to the sadness of all. At this time Dad’s wonderful garden became my domain and working in it always brought back memories of my mate and mentor.
The Quince tree laden with fruit needed to be pruned so I decided to make Quince Jelly, a favourite of my mother and I, so my journey began.
The first batch proudly presented to mum was met with a short “nothing like your father’s”. So I persisted until I perfected the fine art of jelly making.
My wife loved Dad’s famous Apricot Jam and so carefully going over his old recipe books I found the formula to make what is now my famous Apricot Jam in Dad’s memory.
All made for the enjoyment of family and friends.
Rippon Lea House and Gardens