One of the really satisfying aspects of preserve making is the rythmic seasonality of the work.

As soon as the Christmas mayhem is put behind us we turn our attention to the first preserve making opportunity of the new year. Whilst we always like to include a foraged ingredient in our products, there is a noticable absence of native citrus fruits in the UK, so we have to rely on the annual influx of Seville Oranges as the core ingredient for our production.

Seville Oranges, as the name suggest, come from Spain. Back in their native country these fruit are mainly seen as a decorative plant and its only us mad Brits who seem to have developed a seemingly unique tase for the sharp tangy flavour which forms the basis of our marmalades. If I think about it, I dont recall ever having ever seen a marmalade on a breakfast table outside the UK - but their loss is our gain.

The first week of January usually involves a trip to the Birmingham wholesale market where 20kg trays of these orange orbs of loveliness are purchased and then lovingly transformed into that translucent golden spread which turns a humble slice of toast into a mouthwatering treat. 

To achieve the best results we tend to go for the manual approach to preparation, hand slicing the peel into wafer thin strips and soaking for 24 hours. Then its pressure cooked before hot sugar is added to reach the magic setting point as fast as possible, a speed which keeps all that amazing flavour alive and well in the end result. 

Today the first five batches of open pan artisan marmalade were made. This time we including a generous shot of Sloe Whisky just before bottling to create what has to be one of our most popular marmalades. The hint of whisky is a traditional addition to marmalade, but given our desire to explore the foraged dimension, the unique undertones of sloes gives it an added depth of interest. But don't take my word for it, the product won silver in the 2015 Mararmalade Awards.