Marmalade Making Tips
We asked founder of the World’s Original Marmalade Awards, JaneHassell-McCosh for her Top Marmalade Tips as well as her recipe for Apple Marmalade. If you wish to enter these annual awards the closing date for 2017 is February 10th. Click here for the entry form.
Jane’s top tips
* Do it now – the best Seville oranges arrive in the shops after Christmas, so make sure you get the best of the batch.* Clean equipment – if you haven’t used your equipment recently, wash it thoroughly before use. You don’t want your hard work undermined by musky undertones. To create an award-winning marmalade it is important to pay attention to these small details.
* Plan your recipe – decide what sort of marmalade you will make and how you would like it to taste. I invented my own recipe, which I absolutely adore and produce every year. Refine and practise your ideas before sending us the very best.
* Setting point – at Dalemain our judges taste each marmalade blind (out of the jar or on a plain white saucer). It’s important that it has set correctly. Don’t overcook your marmalade into a solid, unpleasant lump. Have confidence in your recipe and remove it from the heat when it states that you should.
* Settling time – make sure that the peel doesn’t all rise to the top of your vessel. The best marmalade has pieces evenly spread throughout. Leave it to settle in the preserving pan for 15 minutes after reaching setting point before pouring it into jars.
* Jars – jar design and labels do not matter, unless you are entering our ‘Marma-label’ competition. The only important point to consider is to use a clean, sterilised jar. Wash it in hot, soapy water, rinse it well and place it upside down in a warm/hot oven for about 30 minutes.
* Send it in early – whilst the deadline for entries is February 10th, there is no point in leaving it until the last minute. We have plenty of space to store your entries at Dalemain; many have already arrived from across the world.
* Filling in your entry form – choose the category that best describes your marmalade (or you) accurately. To be considered for Best in Show you must first win your own category, so choose wisely.
* Packaging – wrap your marmalade securely. When sending it by post use bubble wrap or polystyrene chips to secure the jar within a small, good quality, well-sealed cardboard box. Also, please put your entry form inside the box along with your cheque: people do inevitably forget this.
* Come and enjoy the Festival – after all the effort you have put into producing your marmalade, you deserve a fun day out at the Dalemain World’s Original Marmalade Awards! Again, your entry fee will go to charity, and while you’re here you can attend a demonstration or workshop run by a professional to help improve your technique for next year!