A Preserver’s Year. This talk is delivered by Helen and Andy and covers preserve making, foraging, their life on the canals and the story behind The Jam Butty & Wild Side Preserves.

Wild Side is a business born from an enthusiasm for cooking, boating, waterways and hedgerows.  It is run by Helen Tidy who was keen to combine her love of cooking with husband Andy’s enthusiasm for narrow-boating.  Noticing that the towpath hedgerows were an overflowing larder of wild food, Helen began to experiment with making homemade preserves.  Wild Side Handmade Preserves is the end result of these labours. 

The business is called Wild Side, reflecting the foraged aspect of the ingredients, they are probably better known as The Jam Butty on account of the 27ft engineless boat that they tow behind their main narrowboat.