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Ultimate Seville orange marmalade

Orange marmalade in a jar and spread on toast

Ultimate Seville orange marmalade

Name: Ultimate Seville orange marmalade
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: Makes about 4.5kg/10lb
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1.3kg Seville orange; 2 lemons juice only; 2.6kg preserving or granulated sugar

Moyra Fraser

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Makes about 4.5kg/10lb

More effort

Prep: 1 hr and 15 mins - 1 hr and 30 mins

Cook: 2 hrs and 30 mins

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.119 ratingsRate

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Try our recipe for classic English marmalade, made with Seville oranges and lemons for a burst of citrus. Perfect for spreading on your toast for breakfast.

Gluten-free

Low fat

Vegan

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Test Kitchen tips for the perfect Seville orange marmalade:

Always test the marmalade for its setting point before taking it off the heat. One way to do this is to keep a chilled saucer in the freezer and spoon on a little marmalade - if it wrinkles when you push it with my finger, you know it's ready.
For a subtle twist, you can infuse the marmalade with a vanilla pod, a splash of whisky or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary towards the end of cooking.
Once the marmalade is ready, leave it to stand for around 20 minutes before pouring it into sterilised jars. We find this helps distribute the peel more evenly throughout the jars instead of letting it float to the top.
This marmalade is most popularly enjoyed spread on hot buttered toast, but it's just as useful in savoury cooking. We often stir a spoonful into glazes, marinades or gravies, or use it as a filling for cakes and traybakes for a burst of bright citrus flavour.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1.3kg Seville orange
2 lemons

juice only
2.6kg preserving or granulated sugar

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Nutrition: per tbsp

kcal39
fat0g
saturates0g
carbs9g
sugars9g
fibre0g
protein0g
salt0g

low

Method

step 1

Put the whole oranges and lemon juice in a large preserving pan and cover with 2 litres/4 pints water - if it does not cover the fruit, use a smaller pan. If necessary weight the oranges with a heat-proof plate to keep them submerged. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for around 2 hours, or until the peel can be easily pierced with a fork.
step 2

Warm half the sugar in a very low oven. Pour off the cooking water from the oranges into a jug and tip the oranges into a bowl. Return cooking liquid to the pan. Allow oranges to cool until they are easy to handle, then cut in half. Scoop out all the pips and pith and add to the reserved orange liquid in the pan. Bring to the boil for 6 minutes, then strain this liquid through a sieve into a bowl and press the pulp through with a wooden spoon - it is high in pectin so gives marmalade a good set.
step 3

Pour half this liquid into a preserving pan. Cut the peel, with a sharp knife, into fine shreds. Add half the peel to the liquid in the preserving pan with the warm sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, for about 10 minutes, then bring to the boil and bubble rapidly for 15- 25 minutes until setting point is reached.
step 4

Take pan off the heat and skim any scum from the surface. (To dissolve any excess scum, drop a small knob of butter on to the surface, and gently stir.) Leave the marmalade to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to cool a little and allow the peel to settle; then pot in sterilised jars, seal and label. Repeat from step 3 for second batch, warming the other half of the sugar first.

RECIPE TIPS

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Fresh ginger marmalade: Peel 100g/4oz fresh root ginger and slice thinly. Tie in two muslin bags and bruise with a rolling pin to release its natural juices. Add one bag to pan at step 3, once sugar has dissolved. Continue as before with the second ginger bag and the second batch; remove ginger just before potting.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2002

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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.119 ratings

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