With Seville oranges now appearing in the shops I thought this year I would use them to make Oxford Marmalade, instead of my usual Seville Orange Marmalade.

Oxford Marmalade is a darker chunkier marmalade than Seville Orange Marmalade and is made in a different way. The whole oranges are cooked first and then cut up.

I found it an easier method than the one I use for my Seville Orange Marmalade but had a lower yield – just over 5 pounds rather than the 6 pounds. Oxford Marmalade also uses a percentage of dark brown sugar rather than all white. I used 25% brown sugar but you could experiment with more or less if you wished.

Seville oranges on tree in bright sunshine

Ingredients you will need to make Oxford Marmalade

J ump to printable recip e

2 pounds Seville oranges (preferably organic)
1 lemon
4 pints water
3 pounds granulated sugar
1 pound soft dark brown sugar

Directions

Wash the oranges and lemon.
Put them into a large saucepan with 3 pints of water and weigh them down with a plate so they stay below the level of the water.
Cover the pan and bring the water slowly up to a simmer over a low to medium heat.
Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the fruit is soft and can be pierced easily with a fork.
Allow to cool. I usually cook my oranges the evening before I make the marmalade and leave them to cool overnight.
When the oranges and lemon have cooled remove them from the cooking liquid and transfer the liquid to a preserving pan or large heavy bottomed saucepan.
Pour the remaining pint of water into the saucepan you used to cook the oranges and lemons.
Cut the oranges into quarters and scrape out the pith, pulp and pips and add these to the water in the pan retaining the peel.
Cut the lemon into quarters and scrape out the pith, pulp and pips and add these to the water in the pan discarding the peel.
Bring the contents of the pan to boiling point and simmer for 15-20 minutes to release the pectin.
While this is cooking cut the cooked orange peel into chunky pieces and add them to the liquid in the preserving pan.
Once the orange pulp mixture has boiled for 15-20 minutes pass it through a sieve pressing it hard to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Scrape any remaining liquid from the outside of the sieve and add all this to the preserving pan.
Bring the contents of the preserving pan almost to boiling point and then add both sugars.
Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. It is important not to allow the mixture to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once the sugar is dissolved bring the marmalade to a fast boil – what my mother used to call a rolling boil ie: the mixture still boils when stirred. Stir very frequently.
Put several saucers in the fridge at this point.
Let the marmalade boil for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and spoon a small amount onto one of your cold saucers.
When cold test whether the setting point has been reached by pushing gently with your finger. If the marmalade wrinkles then it has reached setting point. If not return to the heat and re-test after 5 minutes. It rarely takes any longer than 20-25 minutes to reach setting point.
Once setting point has been reached leave the marmalade to stand for 15 minutes to allow the peel to be evenly distributed.
Ladle the marmalade into hot sterilised jars (a funnel is very useful) and cover with lids immediately.
When the jars of marmalade are completely cold you can label them.

Equipment you will need to make Oxford Marmalade

Apart from the usual kitchen items and tools you will ideally need a maslin pan or preserving pan (see this maslin pan if you have an induction hob). A maslin pan is a traditional pot for making jams, marmalade and preserves. It is a heavy pan with a thick base and sides and has a teacup-like shape. Maslin actually means mixture! The website Chef’s Pick has more information about them as well as a lot of very useful general information for a home chef. You will also need to some sterilised jars – see below for how to sterilise the jars.

However, if you don’t have a preserving pan or can’t get hold of one you can use a heavy bottomed pan.

How to Sterilise Jars

To sterilise the jars wash with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly and then put them in the oven at 140°C / 120°C fan / Gas Mark 1 on a baking sheet to dry completely.

If you are using Kilner jars, boil the rubber seals separately, as dry heat damages them.

Sterilising the jars correctly will ensure that bacteria are removed, preventing them from becoming spoiled.

Oxford Marmalade

Recipe by Scones Plus More Cuisine: British

Jars

approx. (1 pound jars)

Cooking the oranges

minutes

Making the marmalade

minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds Seville oranges (preferably organic)
1 lemon
4 pints water
3 pounds granulated sugar
1 pound soft dark brown sugar

Directions

Wash the oranges and lemon.
Put them into a large saucepan with 3 pints of water and weigh them down with a plate so they stay below the level of the water.
Cover the pan and bring the water slowly up to a simmer over a low to medium heat.
Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the fruit is soft and can be pierced easily with a fork.
Allow to cool. I usually cook my oranges the evening before I make the marmalade and leave them to cool overnight.
When the oranges and lemon have cooled remove them from the cooking liquid and transfer the liquid to a preserving pan or large heavy bottomed saucepan.
Pour the remaining pint of water into the saucepan you used to cook the oranges and lemons.
Cut the oranges into quarters and scrape out the pith, pulp and pips and add these to the water in the pan retaining the peel.
Cut the lemon into quarters and scrape out the pith, pulp and pips and add these to the water in the pan discarding the peel.
Bring the contents of the pan to boiling point and simmer for 15-20 minutes to release the pectin.
While this is cooking cut the cooked orange peel into chunky pieces and add them to the liquid in the preserving pan.
Once the orange pulp mixture has boiled for 15-20 minutes pass it through a sieve pressing it hard to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Scrape any remaining liquid from the outside of the sieve and add all this to the preserving pan.
Bring the contents of the preserving pan almost to boiling point and then add both sugars.
Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. It is important not to allow the mixture to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once the sugar is dissolved bring the marmalade to a fast boil – what my mother used to call a rolling boil ie: the mixture still boils when stirred. Stir very frequently.
Put several saucers in the fridge at this point.
Let the marmalade boil for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat and spoon a small amount onto one of your cold saucers.
When cold test whether the setting point has been reached by pushing gently with your finger. If the marmalade wrinkles then it has reached setting point. If not return to the heat and re-test after 5 minutes. It rarely takes any longer than 20-25 minutes to reach setting point.
Once setting point has been reached leave the marmalade to stand for 15 minutes to allow the peel to be evenly distributed.
Ladle the marmalade into hot sterilised jars (a funnel is very useful) and cover with lids immediately.
When the jars of marmalade are completely cold you can label them.

Seville Oranges

Seville oranges were first brought to Seville from Asia during the 12th century and became a symbol for the city. They now line many of the streets in Seville, providing welcome shade during the hot summer months. They cannot really be eaten raw as they have a sour or bitter taste so are commonly used in cooking or juicing and zesting.

Seville oranges are harvested in Spain from November onwards but the demand for them here in Britain is in January and February, the time when people like to make their marmalade. Britain is by far the biggest market for these bitter fruits that taste more like lemons than sweet oranges.

Even though the vast majority of Seville oranges are used to make marmalade the food writer Bee Wilson makes the point that ‘we don’t realise that we hold in our hands something whose sour juice could enliven all our meals‘.

Happy Baking!

Tanya