Leah Riley and Pele Heydon, Thursday Cottage

Nestled in the heart of Tiptree, Thursday Cottage produce delicious jams, marmalades and curds and pride themselves on “traditional values and traditional methods” as well as packaging that hasn’t changed in 55 years.

“We are very conscious of our values,” said Pele Heydon. “All our fruit is hand-checked and all our jars are hand-poured. Every batch is perfect, and every jar is perfect.”

The business was started in Somerset in 1963 by a husband and wife team who later sold it to Wilkin and Sons who own the Tiptree jam brand. Wilkin & Sons wanted to maintain a brand that was hand-made so although the Tiptree brand is huge, Thursday Cottage sticks to its roots.

Leah Riley, who runs the sales side of the business with Pele said: “We only support the independent trade so we will never be in the big supermarket multiples. Our emphasis will remain on quality.”

Pele added: “We are extra special because we make in small batches.

“My favourite way to enjoy our products is with good afternoon tea with scones and cream. Our strawberry preserve is the perfect addition.”

For Thursday Cottage, customer satisfaction is very high – something the pair think is instrumental to its success.

Leah said: “We will never be the biggest brand on the shelf but the people who do buy our preserves trust us and this means the world.”

So why does this producer deserve to win?

“We keep to the same values we have had for over 55 years,” said Pele. “Quality hasn’t diminished because we haven’t changed our traditional production methods.”