It’s the time of year when we had back to our jam kitchen after a well earned break following the hectic Autumn and Christmas season. Our first job of the year is always marmalade and the sights and smells of gorgeous bitter Seville oranges and lemon combined with our wild foraged ingredients brighten the cold and dark winter days.
A fun fact on Seville oranges – these bitter oranges are a cross between two species of wild citrus - pomelos and mandarins found in South East Asia. Introduced to the Mediterranean around 1000BC by Arab traders who later colonised Spain, they were used in marinades, sauces and dressings and widely cultivated in the South of Spain where Seville oranges are still grown. Sweet oranges didn’t arrive in the Mediterranean until around 500 years later.
The star of the show, and our most highly awarded product, is our Sloe Seville Marmalade. The strong tart and bitter flavours of both sloes and Seville oranges are commonly used in liqueurs and marry perfectly together with the addition of sugar to tame the flavour.
The favourite flavour amongst our production team is our Hogweed Seville Marmalade. Packed with zesty Seville orange and lemon, the Hogweed Seeds add an extra layer of warming zesty spice.
Last year was an awful year for quince, with last spring's late frosts destroying the crops from this tree, which is more at home in the Med than our shores. We did manage to get hold of some though and will have a limited amount of Quince Preserve available on our website. Don’t miss out! This luxurious, aromatic preserve is the perfect match for strong tangy cheese like Gruyere or Cheddar, or if that’s not your thing a very sophisticated peanut butter and jam on toast!