Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the World Marmalade Awards, proudly holding a jar of the citrus spread at the Japanese Embassy.
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Londoners are turning to marmalade making to get through the gloomy start to the year.
The Christmas decorations have been removed, the days are short and the winter weather makes returning to work difficult for millions after the festive break. Getting through the first month of the year can be tough, especially with the ‘Dry January’ phenomenon.
But a ray of Spanish sunshine is helping thousands of Londoners battle the blues, and it comes in the form of the Seville orange. Seville oranges are the main ingredient for making marmalade, and January offers the small window when they are in season. With fruits flying off supermarket shelves, marmalade makers like Helen Gibson, in Clapham, are itching to make batches before stock runs out.
“I’ve been making marmalade for six years. It’s a fantastic process. I enjoy the seasonality that comes with making marmalade. You only get the oranges in the supermarkets for between 6 to 8 weeks every year. So, if you want to make it, now is your only chance,” she says.
“You have to be methodical. It makes you focus only on that task. So you can’t be thinking about work or the stresses of everyday life.”
Marmalade mayhem
Marmalade mayhem is not just gripping London this winter. The UK’s World Marmalade Awards also take place next week. Budding preserve-makers from around the world are busy crafting the recipes and shipping their entries to Cumbria. Their creations will be judged by the country’s leading marmalade connoisseurs. The awards’ founder, Jane Hasell-McCosh, started the event in 2005 and has seen it grow in popularity.
“We’ve had forty different countries taking part from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan. I remember we had a wonderful Canadian blood orange marmalade which was absolutely delicious.”
“The product of individual passions”
But what is it that makes marmalade making so popular? Mrs Hasell-McCosh says it’s all in the sense of community.
“Each of these different countries has a very particular way of presenting the spreads and putting their labels on. So we get a wonderful range of people making marmalade all over the world,” she said.
It is certainly the global reach that caught the eye of the Foreign Office. It sent one of its top diplomats to the awards reception earlier this week. The Foreign Office’s Head of Soft Power believes marmalade has the power to help boost Britain’s reputation on the world stage.
“If soft power is about the attractiveness of a country, then the Marmalade Awards enhance the UK’s soft power, through the product itself, the glorious eccentricity with which it is being commemorated, and the emphasis on connecting people around the world” he said.
“This is citizen soft power, the product of individual passions, and not something governments can or should attempt to steer, though we can celebrate it.”
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HeadlineMarmalade Making Mayhem Hits London
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StandfirstHelen is part of a growing number of Londoners making marmalade to unwind from the hustle and bustle of city life
Londoners are turning to marmalade making to get through the gloomy start to the year.
The Christmas decorations have been removed, the days are short and the winter weather makes returning to work difficult for millions after the festive break. Getting through the first month of the year can be tough, especially with the ‘Dry January’ phenomenon.
But a ray of Spanish sunshine is helping thousands of Londoners battle the blues, and it comes in the form of the Seville orange. Seville oranges are the main ingredient for making marmalade, and January offers the small window when they are in season. With fruits flying off supermarket shelves, marmalade makers like Helen Gibson, in Clapham, are itching to make batches before stock runs out.
“I’ve been making marmalade for six years. It’s a fantastic process. I enjoy the seasonality that comes with making marmalade. You only get the oranges in the supermarkets for between 6 to 8 weeks every year. So, if you want to make it, now is your only chance,” she says.
“You have to be methodical. It makes you focus only on that task. So you can’t be thinking about work or the stresses of everyday life.”
Marmalade mayhem
Marmalade mayhem is not just gripping London this winter. The UK’s World Marmalade Awards also take place next week. Budding preserve-makers from around the world are busy crafting the recipes and shipping their entries to Cumbria. Their creations will be judged by the country’s leading marmalade connoisseurs. The awards’ founder, Jane Hasell-McCosh, started the event in 2005 and has seen it grow in popularity.
“We’ve had forty different countries taking part from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan. I remember we had a wonderful Canadian blood orange marmalade which was absolutely delicious.”
“The product of individual passions”
But what is it that makes marmalade making so popular? Mrs Hasell-McCosh says it’s all in the sense of community.
“Each of these different countries has a very particular way of presenting the spreads and putting their labels on. So we get a wonderful range of people making marmalade all over the world,” she said.
It is certainly the global reach that caught the eye of the Foreign Office. It sent one of its top diplomats to the awards reception earlier this week. The Foreign Office’s Head of Soft Power believes marmalade has the power to help boost Britain’s reputation on the world stage.
“If soft power is about the attractiveness of a country, then the Marmalade Awards enhance the UK’s soft power, through the product itself, the glorious eccentricity with which it is being commemorated, and the emphasis on connecting people around the world” he said.
“This is citizen soft power, the product of individual passions, and not something governments can or should attempt to steer, though we can celebrate it.”
