Well preserved
It was not until refined sugar from the West Indies became widely available in Europe in the early 18th century that jam-making became popular in UK homes. Although no longer a household industry, the fruit conserve is still found in most UK homes, restaurants, hotels and cafés.
Despite strawberry and raspberry jams remaining the most popular, any number of fruits can be used, ranging from blackcurrants, green figs and Victoria plums to less conventional flavours such as pineapple and blueberry.
To see what types of jam are available to caterers, Chef asked a panel of tasters made up of chefs, independent manufacturers and restaurant managers from the food service sector to taste 12 jams at the 18th-century Pump Room in Bath, where the catering is run by Milburns Restaurants.
All products were tasted blind, on dry white toast, and detailed questionnaires were completed as each product was sampled. Tasters were asked to bear in mind what they required on a professional basis as well as their personal taste, and they were reminded that the products were to be assessed on an individual, rather than a comparative, basis.
Judging criteria
Each jam was assessed by the tasters on the following criteria:
Visual impression: what did they like or dislike about the overall appearance of the product? Was its appearance appetising or unappetising? Would the jam be visually appealing to their customers?
Aroma: did the product have an appealing aroma? Did it give off an authentic aroma that matched its stated ingredients?
Texture: what did the tasters like or dislike about the texture?
Flavour: how did the tasters rate the flavour of the jam? Did it taste natural or artificial? Was it bland or full of flavour? Was it natural, sweet, sour or fruity?
Overall rating: bearing in mind the cost, quality and value, the tasters were asked if they would serve the product in their own establishments.
Jam session: the results
Traditional and unusual flavours were both highly rated by the Chef taste-test panellists. On the traditional side, Bonne Maman's Strawberry Conserve was considered to be an excellent product with plenty of fruit and good spreadability, while "a perfect jam" was the verdict on the Dorset Preserving Company Finest Raspberry Extra Jam, which had "a good balance of flavours" and "lots of whole fruits".
But it was one of the more unusual varieties that made the panellists' sense of taste really come alive. Spiced Plum & Rum from Cornish Meadow Preserves was said to have very distinctive flavours and even at 10am the alcohol smell was thought to be enticing.
On the downside, panellists were disappointed with the lack of fruit and consistency in a number of jams. Some of the problems, they believed, arose from the products being cooked too long and having too many artificial additives in them.
The tasters
Andrew Wright, who hosted the taste test, is the area general manager for Milburns Restaurants which runs the catering at the Pump Room. The 120-seat restaurant, which caters for up to 700 people including tourists and local residents, has a daily average spend of about £6.50 per head.
Wilkin & Sons' Tiptree brand is served at the Pump Room, mainly with its afternoon tea menu. When considering a jam for use in the restaurant, Wright says he likes to see whole fruit used, and the quality of the product is of a higher priority than the cost.
Suzannah Webb is a director with McNeill's Fine Foods, based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Webb has control over what products are manufactured and she has total responsibility for all product development. Favourite flavours with her customers, whom Webb describes as "not necessarily reliant on the mass market", are strawberry and apricot. Personally, Webb likes to see products with a high fruit content, good texture and reasonable spreadability.
Jonathan Fraser is head chef at the Forte-owned Bath Spa hotel, Bath, and is responsible for two restaurants, the 40-seat Alfresco and the 95-seat Vellore, and catering within the banqueting department. Fraser caters for about 400 customers a day, a mixture of leisure and conference guests. Average spend - for food only - is £14 at lunch and £23 at dinner.
For breakfast, afternoon tea, and as an ingredient for the restaurant menus, Fraser uses Hartley's, Wilkin & Sons and Robinsons. When selecting jams, Fraser holds in-house taste tests where he and his staff look for taste, presentation and reasonable price. They also like to use local suppliers where possible.
Garry Rosser is head chef at Bath restaurant Beaujolais, which he describes as "a typical French bistro-style restaurant". It has 70 seats, serves an average of 150 customers a day with an average spend of £20 and £30 at lunch and dinner respectively, including wine.
Rosser buys in Robinsons and Noel jams specifically for use as ingredients, while home-made jams are served directly to customers. His priority when buying jams is to find companies that use the freshest ingredients with the fewest preservatives.
Matthew Prowse is head chef at the Queensberry hotel and Olive Tree restaurant, Bath. The 55-seat restaurant serves modern British and Mediterranean food to about 75 customers a day. Average spend for dinner is £30 including wine.
The Tiptree brands from Wilkin & Sons are served at breakfast and strawberry, blackberry and raspberry are among the most favoured. Prowse is looking for jams with a good appearance and taste, and he hopes the taste test will give him an insight into what is available on the market.
