Marmalade!

January is traditional marmalade making season. Most of our jams and chutneys use local or homegrown produce but obviously Seville oranges have to come from further afield!

Here’s chef Chloe’s Swallowtail Hill Marmalade recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 kilo Seville oranges

2 lemons

granulated sugar equal in weight to the prepared fruit

enough water to cover the fruit

Optional Extras!

You can get creative if you want and add one of the following additional flavours to your marmalade:

2 or 3 Cinnamon Sticks

2 to 4 Star Anise 

Approx 200g Fresh Ginger (remember to weigh it once prepared and add the equivalent amount of sugar to the recipe too)

3 to 4 tbsp Whisky or Brandy or Galliano (add to taste once your marmalade reaches setting point)

TOP TIP – Seville oranges can be frozen whole and kept in the freezer for up to a year – so you can make your marmalade when it suits you. 

METHOD

1. Prepare the fruit by quartering and de-seeding, then slice as thinly as you can with a knife. Once the fruit is prepared, weigh it so you know how much sugar you will need.

2. Weigh your sugar into a metal bowl and place in an oven preheated to 150C. By warming the sugar beforehand it won’t reduce the pan’s temperature too much when you add it to the cooked fruit, so you’ll reach setting point faster.

3. Place the prepared fruit into a jam pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until soft. Use a wooden spoon to push on the peel gently – if it goes through with ease you can go ahead and add the sugar.

4. Add the warm sugar to the fruit and stir gently until dissolved. Once dissolved, turn up the heat to achieve a rolling boil. Keep stirring so it doesn’t stick or burn and keep boiling until setting point. You can use a jam thermometer or the cold plate test to check when you’ve reach setting point.

Cold Plate Test: chill a saucer in your freezer. When cold, take it out and spoon a small blob of marmalade onto it. Leave for a moment and then push the marmalade with your finger. If the surface of the marmalade wrinkles it is ready, if it doesn’t – then boil it for a few more minutes and test again.

5. Once you’ve reached setting point, turn off the heat and leave the marmalade to settle for 10-15 minutes. While you’re waiting sterilise your clean jars in the oven at 150C for 15-20 minutes. Sterilise the jam jar lids in a jug of boiling water then drain and wipe dry with a clean kitchen towel.

6. Stir the marmalade to distribute the peel, then spoon into the clean, warm jars. Put the lids on and label the jars. Store in a cool dark place and once opened keepin the fridge.