Marmalade Mania

Whilst most people loath the cold bleak winter months of January and February we wait with excitement to hear news of the first new season Seville oranges reaching our shores. The kitchen becomes a hive of activity, with hundreds of oranges being squeezed and sliced by hand, whilst preserving pans bubble away on the stove….the smell is just amazing!

We always seek out the finest ingredients for our preserves, Sevilles being no exception – ours come from one of the best organic Seville growers in Spain – ‘Ave Maria farm’ http://www.huertaavemaria.com. Their oranges really are fantastic, with beautiful bright orange skins and a fantastic bitter, sweet flavour – we use them in two of our award winning marmalades, the classic ‘Seville Marmalade’ and ‘Seville with Dartmoor honey’ .

As well as Sevilles there are slightly more unusual citrus fruits in season at this time of year. One of our favourites is the Bergamot (organic of course!) – a sour orange crossbreed, closer to a lemon – it is most well known for giving Earl Grey its distinctive taste. We combine it with organic lemons to make a delicious, zesty and fragrant marmalade (available in our online shop soon).

This frenzy of marmalade making coincides with the annual ‘World’s Original Marmalade Awards’ and this year we have come up with some new flavour combinations which we hope will ‘wow’ the judges….the results will be announced in mid March so we’ll keep you updated on Facebook and Twitter!