Meet Boddington’s, a family business that has quietly been doing things right since 1946.
From Cornwall kitchens to award-winning preserves
Boddingtons began in 1946, when William Boddington started the family business in post-war Cornwall, from a market garden growing fruit, vegetables and flowers.
While the business itself spans over 80 years, the preserves you see today are a more recent chapter. The first, their Strawberry Conserve, was created in 2001, with the range growing carefully from there.
That same original mindset still runs through everything they do today. Still based in Cornwall, making everything in small batches, and still focused on doing things the slow, traditional way.
No shortcuts. No unnecessary extras. Just fruit, time, and care.
A family business that never really stopped being one
Today, Boddingtons is still family-run, now in its fourth generation, rooted in the same values it started with, and still guided by a very simple way of working: keep quality at the centre of everything.
Over the years, the business has evolved, but always carefully, never at the expense of what makes it special.
“It never felt like starting something new, more like continuing something that was already there, just in a different generation.”
That continuity is what gives every jar its sense of honesty.
Clean. Quality. Nostalgic.
If you were to describe Boddingtons in just three words, it would be exactly this. Not as a slogan, but as a feeling that runs through everything they make. From the slow-cooked fruit to the unmistakably traditional flavour, there is a simplicity to it that feels both familiar and carefully considered at the same time.
What they believe in (and what you can taste)
Boddingtons does not overstate things. They just make great preserves. But behind that simplicity is a very clear way of working:
- Quality first, always
- Family knowledge passed through generations
- Traditional slow-cooking methods
- Sustainability over scale
- Trust built through consistency
Nothing is rushed. Nothing is artificial. Nothing is there for show.
Award-winning, but still grounded
In recent years, Boddingtons has quietly received recognition across the Great Taste Awards, including a 2-star award for their Blackcurrant Preserve.
But one of the most loved products, their Chilli Jam, started somewhere much simpler.
It began at home, after growing chillies in the garden, and experimenting with different versions until it felt right.
“We probably went through more than ten or fifteen versions before we landed on the final one. It had to work with everything, not just one thing.”
That process, slow and slightly obsessive, is exactly the point.
What makes Boddingtons different
In a world of overworked labels and overcomplicated ingredients, Boddingtons has stayed deliberately simple.
Every jar is:
- Slow-cooked by hand
- Made in small batches
- Free from artificial preservatives
- Made without added pectin
- High fruit content for a naturally rich flavour
Their Strawberry Conserve contains 80g of fruit per 100g, giving it that deep, almost homemade intensity that is hard to replicate at scale.
It is not about doing more. It is about doing less, properly.
From Cornwall to cream teas everywhere
In 2025 alone, 16 tonnes of Boddingtons jam were enjoyed in cream teas across the UK, with jars also travelling as far as Japan, over 6,000 miles away.
A simple reminder that something as familiar as jam still has the ability to travel, connect and feel like home wherever it lands.
A natural fit with IMP & MAKER
Some products just make sense in a hamper, and Boddingtons is one of them.
Their Strawberry Conserve sits at the heart of our Afternoon Tea Hampers, bringing that familiar, comforting, slightly nostalgic flavour that makes everything else feel more complete.
It is not the loudest part of the hamper. It is the one that ties it all together.
The Afternoon Tea moment
There is something about Afternoon Tea that naturally slows everything down. The kettle on. The clink of cups. The first spoon of jam on a warm scone that tastes exactly how it should.
We are proud to work with Boddingtons and to showcase their Strawberry Conserve within our Afternoon Tea Hampers, bringing that sense of quality and quiet nostalgia to every gift we send.
Because when something is made with this much care and quality, it doesn’t need overcomplicating, it just needs sharing.
Discover more about Boddingtons on their website, or follow their journey on Instagram.
