Seville Orange Marmalade

Ingredients

• 1.5kg Seville oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2.5 litres cold water
• about 2kg granulated sugar

Method

1. With a sharp knife, peel the skin from the oranges and lemons, leaving as much white pith on the fruit as possible. Chop the peel into 3mm strips and put in a large pan.

2. Line a large bowl with a piece of muslin, leaving plenty to overhang the sides of the bowl. Cut the oranges and lemons in half. With your hands, squeeze the juice from the fruit over the bowl, dropping the leftover squeezed fruit (pith, pips and flesh) into the muslin.

3. Lift the muslin out of the bowl, gather the sides and squeeze any remaining juice into the bowl. Tie the muslin together with string to keep the fruit in and form a bag.

4. Place the muslin bag in the saucepan with the peel. Add the squeezed fruit juice and 2.5 litres cold water to the pan.

5. Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, until the peel is tender. Put a few saucers in the fridge to chill.

6. Remove the bag. Squeeze its sticky juices into the pan. You can do it while warm by putting it in a colander and pressing with a spoon but it can be easier to let the bag cool first and squeeze it with your hands).

7. Measure the contents of the pan in a jug (include the shreds and liquid). Return to the pan and add 450g sugar for every 500ml liquid.

8. Gently heat for 15 minutes, until the sugar crystals have dissolved. Turn up the heat. Boil rapidly until it reaches setting point (this could take 10-15mins). If you have a sugar thermometer, the setting point for marmalade is 105°C. To check the set without one, put a teaspoon of the liquid on a cold saucer and gently pushing with the back of the spoon. If the liquid starts to wrinkle, setting point has been reached. If no wrinkling happens, keep boiling and re-test every 5 minutes. Turn off the heat as soon as you reach setting point.

9. Skim any scum from the surface. Leave the mixture to stand for 15 minutes. Stir gently, then carefully spoon into warmed sterilised jars (use a jam funnel if you have one). If using screw top lids, put the lids on while the marmalade is still hot and turn upside down for 5 minutes to sterilise the lids (or boil the lids for a few minutes and leave to dry before use). If using cellophane, put a wax disc on the marmalade while warm, then seal with cellophane and an elastic band.

Recipe from Riverford