SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

When once Christmas is behind us I always look forward to the second week in January when the new season Seville oranges appear in the shops. Well, this year I have had great difficulty in tracking them down and had to go to a neighbouring town to find some in a traditional greengrocers.  The best and tastiest marmalade needs Seville oranges to provide that bitter sweet taste. I always make a couple of batches to ensure that we have enough to last the year, with a few pots to give to family and friends.

Ingredients:

2 lb/ Seville Oranges

1 lemon

4 lb Granulated Sugar

4 pints water

Method:

Scrub the fruits to ensure they are really clean and remove the little stalk at the top

Cut them in half, horizontally, and squeeze out the juice and pips

Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the juice and pips into this.

Measure the water into a large preserving pan, stock pot or saucepan.

Add the strained juice.

Cut the peel into quarters and shred - finely or chunky - the choice is yours.

Add the shredded peel to the pan and leave overnight to soften.

The next day, place the pips in a piece of muslin or gauze and tie to the pan handle so the bag of pips just hangs in the pan.  This will release the pectin which aids setting. Bring the pan to a simmering point and simmer for 1-3 hours until the peel is really soft.

Take the pan off the heat.

Remove the bag of pips and squeeze out the gooey pectin using a saucer and a spoon.

Measure the sugar and add to the pan, stirring until dissolved.

Bring the pan back to the boil on a high heat and allow to bubble quickly until a set is obtained - about 20 minutes

Spoon a little onto a chilled saucer and place by the open window, it will wrinkle if a set is obtained.

Heat the clean jars in a low oven and pot the marmalade when cool enough to handle.

Cover with waxed discs and cellophane tops, cling film or lids.

Label and date.

Store in a cool dry place.

Enjoy with delicious home made bread, toast etc.  A real breakfast treat.