Recipes

I know anyone who makes marmalade has their own favourite and foolproof recipe, but I would like to add mine to the pot. I acquired mine so long ago that its attribution is lost in the mists of time. I suspect it was given to me by a marmalade maker who insisted on using whole Seville oranges - as if there is any other way. The recipe has been in my keeping for years so, as you will notice, the measurements are in imperial rather than metric. However for a quick conversion, weigh the oranges and use double the weight of sugar and double the measure of water.

Makes 12 jars

    4lbs Seville oranges
    1 lemon
    8lbs sugar
    8 pts water

Method

Wash the fruit, quarter the oranges, remove the pips and set aside. Slice the oranges according to how thick you like your peel and put in a preserving pan. Add the water, stir and bring to the boil over a medium heat . Squeeze the juice from the lemon and reserve, slice the peel and add to the pan. Simmer gently, stirring intermittently for between 1-2 hours until the peel is soft.

Meanwhile to extract the pectin, put the pips from the oranges and lemon in a small pan, cover with water and simmer for abut 20 minutes until the liquid look viscous (slightly slippery). Strain the liquid in to preserving pan then boil up the pips again and repeat the process.

Once the peel is softened and the liquid reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce, add the lemon juice and stir in the sugar. Continue stirring the sugar until is completely dissolved , then turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Let it boil vigorously, stirring continuously to prevent burning, until setting point is reached. To test for this, put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge and leave for about 5 minutes. Once it is done, decant the marmalade into a jug, and pour into prepared jars. Fill the jars right up to the top, cover with a preserving disc and leave to cool before covering.