• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Greedy Gourmet | Food & Travel Blog
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
    • Where To Eat in England
      • London
      • Berkshire
      • Essex
      • Surrey
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Montenegro
      • Ireland
    • Netherlands
    • Serbia
    • Spain
  • Places to Visit
    • Places to Stay in England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Portugal
    • Spain
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Places to Visit
  • Restaurants
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Courses / Breakfast/Brunch / Seville Orange Marmalade

    Seville Orange Marmalade

    13 September 2012 - By Michelle Minnaar
    This post may contain affiliate links.

    FacebookTweetPin28YummlyShares28
    Jump to Recipe
    Marmalade for Breakfast

    When it came to grandparents I felt that I’d been royally screwed over.

    My paternal grandparents passed away long before I came into existence and my experience with my maternal ones was less than rosy. So when kids came to school with stories about how they did this, that and the other fun stuff with their grandparents I was filled with a concoction of disbelief, disappointment and resentment. I had no sentimental I-baked-cookies-with-my-grandma-in-her-warm-old-people-smelling-kitchen tale to tell.

    Fast forward twenty years. An interesting phenomenon occurs in the UK every morning after peak hour. Roads are filled with little Fiestas puttering along at no more than 30 mph and pavements are blocked by old-fashioned trolleys. If you’re lucky you might even trip over a 6 wheeler one with swivel wheels. It was a bit of a culture shock coming from South Africa where a lot of “ou tannies en oompies” are safely put away in old age homes.

    After a walk in the park Gabriel and I bumped into our elderly neighbour, Gwen. Fitting in with British custom I participated in the obligatory neighbourly chinwag of superficial things like the weather. After all, my limited experience with the grey and white haired species had left me rather wary. Admittedly, since it rains a lot the subject didn’t leave much room for in-depth discussion we veered onto other subjects such as swimming which she was going to do that afternoon. Knowing that I was stuck in this tiny village without a car she offered to take us along. I keenly accepted.

    Weeks turned into months and then years and we’re still going for our weekly swim and even go to the green grocers too. In my eyes, it turned into an unlikely friendship. Heck, she’s like the grandmother I had never had and the void I felt has finally been filled.

    Neighbour Gwen

    In her 80’s, Gwen has been married for over 60 years to a now cantankerous man who comes from a generation of bakers. She’s got plenty of war stories to tell and point out a flower to her and she’ll recite the Latin name. A keen reader who visits the library regularly, she swims often, has an active social life and gets speeding tickets.

    I want to be her when I grow old.

    So one day in January on the way back she was happily clucking away that she got hold of Seville oranges to make marmalade. Knowing that my husband likes the latter, it immediately struck me that here was a golden opportunity to learn from someone with decades of experience in jam making. My previous attempts at this forgotten art ended up in shambles when I used overripe plums so my confidence was zero. She kindly agreed to teach me and in the photos that follow you’ll see her helping.

    With bountiful jars of marmalade in the cupboard I had to quickly learn to like the stuff more. My favourite way of enjoying it? Mix some marmalade with mayonnaise and eat with roast chicken. Divine!

    So next time while you commute and an old person annoys you by being in the way, remember, it might be another Gwen.

    There you have it; I finally have my own grandma story. We didn’t make no stinkin’ cookies but gorgeous marmalade instead!

    Traditional Marmalade vs. Tawny Marmalade

    Do you see the difference between these bottles? The one on the right is the Tawny kind where you use less sugar. Delicious, bitter and not too sweet, it gets the attractive deep colour from brown sugar. You’ll find more details on how to prepare Tawny Marmalade in the Recipe Notes.

    Regular Marmalade vs Tawny Marmalade

    MARMALADE AND SPECIAL DIETS

    Marmalade is safe to eat for vegans and vegetarians. It contains no fat, sodium, lactose or gluten. Unfortunately, diabetics steer clear because it’s high in sugar.

    Marmalade - the finished product

    Marmalade Recipe Variations

    Three Fruit Marmalade

    Feeling adventurous? In the recipe below you can add a grapefruit or two as long as you remove an orange or so. Make sure you stick to the same weight.

    Frozen Fruit and Marmalade

    Most preserves can be made from frozen fruit. As the pectin content tends to weaken slightly during freezer storage, add 10% more fruit. When cooked, cut the fruit into quarters; remove all the pips, pith and flesh. Squeeze this through a strainer and retain any juice or pectin that is obtained, discard pips etc. Return juice, shredded peel and remaining ingredients to the cooker and finish as recipe below states.

    Seville Orange Marmalade for Breakfast

    Marmalade Flavour Ideas

    Although I haven’t experimented with these variations these flavours in theory match well with oranges. Here are a few ideas for ingredients you can add to the pot before cooking the fruit:

    • grated fresh root ginger
    • finely chopped chili
    • juniper (try at your own risk)
    • cloves (try at your own risk)

    What about some booze with your marmalade? Here are a few ideas for what you can add it marmalade after it’s been cooked:

    • Whisk(e)y
    • Brandy
    • Armagnac
    • Kirsch
    • Grand marnier
    • Cointreau
    • Sherry
    • Ground spices, such ginger and/or cinnamon
    • Vanilla (might get lost in the intense citrus flavour)
    Oranges & Lemons ready to be shredded for Marmalade

    Right, let's start by washing the oranges and lemons.

    Squeeze all the juice out of the lemons and oranges

    Slice all the fruit in half, preparing to juice them.

    Lemon juice

    Pour the lemon juice in a glass, cover with cling film and place it in the fridge. You'll need this tomorrow when you add it to the pot after the shredded fruit has been cooked.

    Makeshift Pectin Muslin Holder

    Here's my makeshift pectin holder - a large cup and a square piece of sterilised muslin - ready for pips and pith.

    Squeezing Orange Juice

    Juice all the oranges. Fantastic arm exercise if you ask me!

    Pour all the lemon & orange juice in a big bowl

    Pour all the orange juice in the biggest ceramic or glass bowl in the house. Don't taste it, trust me, it's vile.

    Save all the pips in the muslin

    Place all the pips in the muslin cloth as you go along.

    Save all the orange and lemon skins

    See all these babies? You need to shred them.

    Ready to shred some orange peel

    First you need to remove the pith though.

    Halve the orange peel

    Seville oranges have quite a lot of pith, an excellent source of pectin, which makes them the classic variety for marmalade.

    Remove the pith from the rind

    Slowly slice the pith out ...

    Slice the pith out

    ... keeping the skin as thin as possible.

    Orange's pith removed from rind

    Didn't you know? The pips are having a pectin rave in the muslin bag and the pith pieces are gonna join them big time.

    Finely cut orange peel

    Didn't you know? The pips are having a rave in the muslin bag and the pith pieces are gonna join them big time.

    Half a lemon ready to be shredded

    Next, slice the orange peel finely and add it to the big bowl with orange juice. Repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat.

    Quartered lemon

    Remember what we did with the orange shells?

    Lemon's pith removed

    Do exactly the same with the lemons.

    Shredded lemon peel

    Peel shredded. Lemon piths love raves too.

    Place all pips and pith in the muslin bag

    It's a full house!

    Tie up the muslin bag with a string

    Use a sterilised string to firmly tie up the ravenous bunch. That was my terrible joke of the day. Is anyone still reading? Leave a comment for my amusement. 🙂

    Shredded orange and lemon peel in orange and lemon juice

    By now the big bowl should have started filling up nicely with orange juice and shredded peel.

    Muslin bag placed in marmalade mix

    Add the water along with the pectin happy muslin bag, cover and leave overnight for the fruit to soak.

    Simmer the citrus peels, juice and muslin bags

    Good morning! Did you have a good night's sleep? How about farm fresh marmalade on toast for a late brunch?

    If you're using the open pan method, simmer the bowl's contents gently for about 2 hours or until the the fruit is soft. If you really can't wait for breakfast, use a pressure cooker, which will do the job in only 10 minutes.

    Squeeze every last drop of pectin out of the muslin bag

    Remove the muslin bags from the pot and squeeze out every last drop from them. Remember, it uses pectin and that's the setting agent for all jams and jellies. Otherwise you're just making a glorified, gloopy orange sauce.

    Brown & White Sugar ready to add to marmalade

    Have your sugar ready. Here, I made Tawny Orange Marmalade which essentially uses 25% less sugar and funnily enough the orange flavour comes through better and makes for tastier marmalade. The muscavado sugar gives the marmalade a lovely dark hue too. For more details, check the recipe notes.

    Add the sugar to the simmering marmalade pot
    Add the lemon juice
    Simmering marmalade

    Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat, we're going to boil the hell out of it. If you have a sugar thermomemter, great stuff. The liquid has to reach 104-106ºC(220-222ºF).

    Don't forget to have clean, sterilised glass jars ready, so get washing. Preheat the oven to 100ºC(220ºF) - the jars need to be in for at least 30 minutes.

    Here are three methods to test for setting point:

    1. Take a little marmalade on to a cold saucer and cool. Push with the finger at one side and if the skin has formed wrinkles, setting point has been reached, or

    2. Take a little marmalade on to a wooden spoon. Turn it over and over several times so that it cools then allow it to drip from the edge. If the last drop does not drips but stays as a blob of jelly, setting point has been reached, or

    3. Use a sugar thermometer and wait until the temperature reaches 104-106ºC(220-222ºF).

    Be careful not to overcook which may result in a very dark preserve that does not set well.

    Hard boil the marmalade

    Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

    Testing Marmalade for Set Point

    The liquid should slowly gloop off the spoon.

    A skin had formed on the marmalade

    Are we there yet?

    Testing for Set Point in Marmalade

    Look at that lovely skin that formed. Bottle up!

    Pouring Jam in Sterilised Jars

    Wait for 10 minutes first to allow the fruit to disperse while cooling down. If bottled too soon, you will only scoop the jam part of the marmalade because the fruit pieces will sink to the bottom of the pan. Got it?

    Sterilising jam jar seals

    Use two separate containers for lids and rubber seals respectively. Pour boiling water on them before using to seal the jars.

    Rubber Seals on Marmalade Jars

    Rubber seal on.

    Sealing Marmalade Jars

    Almost there...

    Giving marmalade jars a wipe

    Ta-daa! A sealed fresh jar of marmalade. Breakfast's ready!

    Seville Orange Marmalade for Breakfast
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Marmalade Seville Orange

    Seville Orange Marmalade


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Michelle Minnaar
    • Total Time: 13 hours 60 minutes
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    The ultimate guide recipe you will ever need to make your own Marmalade with lots of variations.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1kg (2 lb) Seville oranges
    • 2 lemons
    • 2kg (4lb) granulated sugar

    Instructions

    1. Wash the fruit. Halve the lemons, squeeze out their juice, pour it into a container and keep in the fridge. Place the peels to one side.
    2. Halve the oranges, squeeze out the juice and pour it into a large bowl.
    3. Scrape all the pips out of the citrus fruit and place them in a sterilised muslin bag (a square piece of thin cotton cloth works too).
    4. Remove the lemon and orange pith with a sharp knife and add it bag of pips. When done, tie the muslin bag/cloth with a sterilised string and add it to the bowl of orange juice.
    5. Shred the lemon and orange peels into thin strips. Depending on how chunky you would like your marmalade you can cut them into thicker pieces.
    6. Add the shredded peels to the bowl with the orange juice and muslin bag.
    7. If you’re planning on using a pressure cooker to cook the fruit add (500ml) 1 pint water to the large bowl with shredded fruit. If you are using an open pan, 1 litre (2 pints) of water is used for every 500g (1lb) of fruit.
    8. Leave the bowl covered at room temperature overnight for the fruit to soak.
    9. Simmer gently until the fruit peels are really tender and the contents of the pan have been reduced by half, which should take about 2 hours using the open pan method. Alternatively, use the pressure cooker that will only take 10 minutes.
    10. Add the sugar and lemon juice then stir. When the sugar had dissolved boil rapidly till a set is obtained.
    11. Cool for about 10 minutes before potting. Seal at once. Store in cool, dark and dry place.

    Notes

    • Have some marmalade with buttered toast. I like to mix some with mayonnaise and eat it with cold roast chicken.
    • The containers used from start to finish should either be ceramic or glass. Avoid metal because acid in the fruit might interfere with the metal. Plastic bowls might soak up the flavour of the food’s contents.
    • The fruit must soak for at least 12 hours because it lessens the cooking time. With open cooking, if you don’t soak them long enough beforehand they will take about an hour longer to cook to soften the peels.
    • For Tawny Orange Marmalade, instead of 2kg (4lb) sugar, use 750g (1½ lbs) muscavado sugar and 750g (1½ lbs) granulated sugar.
    • Prep Time: 780 minutes
    • Cook Time: 60 minutes

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 64.3g
    • Calories: 163
    • Sugar: 41.8 g
    • Carbohydrates: 42.8 g

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @greedygourmet on Instagram and hashtag it #greedygourmet

    save the recipe to your pinterest board

    More Breakfast/Brunch

    • zucchini egg bake.
      Zucchini Egg Bake
    • Healthy Baked Beans
    • Strawberry Blackberry Banana Smoothie
    • White Chocolate and Raspberry Smoothie
    FacebookTweetPin28YummlyShares28

    DON'T MISS A THING!

    New recipes, tips & tricks, reviews and giveaways every week!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rosa

      September 13, 2012 at 11:29 am

      A wonderful story and lady! She reminds me of my English grandmother...

      That marmalade looks delicious! Great pictures too.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    2. Michelle

      September 13, 2012 at 1:09 pm

      Thanks, Rosa!

      Reply
    3. Jeanne @ CookSister!

      September 13, 2012 at 4:27 pm

      Ravenous. Hur hur hur..!! 😉 Fantastic post! I was petrified of jam making till I tried for the first time - and it's actually not that bad - got some pretty awe-inspiring mirabelle plum & ginger jam for my trouble. This is a fantastic guide to marmalade making - so useful! And Gwen looks like a treasure (I also did not really have grandparents or fluffy memories to speak of...)

      Reply
    4. jules

      September 14, 2012 at 1:38 am

      what a fabulous post. i love the details and the photos. what a great way to learn proper marmalade...from a proper lady named Gwen. i love the roast chicken and mayo idea, but have you tried straight marmalade on "fried" chicken? oh boy, delicious. thanks again for the great story and post.

      Reply
    5. Camilla @Fabfood4all

      September 14, 2012 at 10:57 pm

      I want to say welcome back even though you haven't gone anywhere it just seems like ages since we had a new recipe from you. I love homemade Marmalade and have been an avid buyer of it at the local WI but I really must get on a make some myself. I love all your step by step photos (as you know I'm a fan of this display method myself). My only concern is that I can't read the last word or two on the right hand side due to the Share menu. Maybe if I had a big screen it wouldn't be a problem, but on my netbook I struggle to bob the page up and down to avoid the menu obliterating my view. Anyway I look forward to all your new recipes and the new format.
      Camilla
      x

      Reply
    6. Wizzy

      September 15, 2012 at 4:00 am

      I always thought I was fortunate to have all my grandparents still alive well into my thirties. Smh longevity runs on both sides of my family. Now that they have all passed I still miss them terriblly and this post about your still feisty 'grandma' brought a smile to my face as does the lovely marmalade.

      Reply
    7. Michelle

      September 21, 2012 at 11:14 am

      Thanks, Jeanne. There are so many flavours you can add to jam and plum and ginger sounds glam. There's still time for you to adopt an "ouma". 😉

      Reply
    8. admin

      October 01, 2012 at 10:56 am

      Can't say I have but I'll definitely try marmalade with fried chicken next time we have the latter!

      Reply
    9. Michelle

      October 01, 2012 at 11:15 am

      Nope, I haven't been away at all but just took a bit of a break and regrouped. It's good to be back again recipe-wise! Thanks for letting me know about the social media panel glitch. It's finally removed and another plugin has replaced it.

      Reply
    10. Michelle

      October 01, 2012 at 11:17 am

      You're very lucky, Wizzy! It's always good to carry your fond memories with you. 🙂

      Reply
    11. Margot @ Coffee & Vanilla

      August 24, 2014 at 12:57 pm

      Yum, I could eat it orange marmalade at any occasion 🙂

      Reply
    12. John

      February 15, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      Thank you for the recipe and instruction. I just finished my maiden voyage into marmalade creation and was, all things considered, successful. But I want to try something with less sugar and here I am at your doorstep so your method is my next attempt. Love the brown sugar idea. I used some blood oranges in mine and got a similar effect though not as dramatic as yours. It's amazing how many friends you you never knew existed until it gets out that you've made marmalade 🙂

      Reply
    13. Teresa H Smith

      January 14, 2017 at 3:47 am

      Hi There Michele! This is a great and informative post on Marmalade. I've never made it. I've been given about 9 lbs of Sour oranges and Meyer lemons and they're still chillin' while i angst over all the internet info and recipes out there. Hours of research. I don't want to screw this up. I've decided I like your method best and love the photos for help too! But I have a question or 2.
      This yields about 6+ cups it says. How many half pint jars do you typically fill up for this? Would it make more sense for me to halve this in case it doesn't turn out the way I want it to? I am not a fan of sugary, overly sweet jams and jellies. So I thought using the sour oranges was ideal. But your recipe calls for over 9 cups of sugar. Seems like a lot. Can I use less sugar (like 6 cups) and still get a nice consistency and gel? Do you think I should halve this? Will it turn out the same? Help is MOST appreciated and I hope you get this in time to answer. (before fruit is getting stale). 🙂 thank you in advance!!!
      Teresa

      Reply
    14. Renil M. George

      September 09, 2017 at 8:32 pm

      Marmalade on a special diet? Count me in.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    15. Miv

      January 10, 2018 at 5:01 pm

      I just scrape the pith and membranes out of the orange half shells with my fingernails to put into the muslin with the pips, then whizz the peel in a food processor-MUCH QUICKER than slicing and add it to the pan with the water and juice-the peel is more evenly distributed! I pressure cook at 15lbs pressure for 10 minutes, using 3 pints(imperial=20fl.oz in PINT) water to 3 lbs fruit.
      When it has cooled enough to handle, squeeze the muslin to extract as much pectin as possible.
      Add the sugar (about 5 lbs of sugar to 3lbs of fruit and 2 lemons)and bring to the boil stirring all the time to make sure the sugar has dissolved (prod the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon-if there is still undissolved sugar, it sounds gritty).
      Boil until setting point is reached, I have a thermometer, but prefer to use the old fashioned 'flake test' where the spoon is dipped in the hot liquid, twirled around and wait until the marmalade falls off the spoon. If it gathers together and falls sharply, setting point is reached-if it drips, continue cooking and test again until the right consistency is achieved.
      Leave to cool at least 10 minutes, or the peel will float to the top of the jar when filled. Cover the jars whilst marmalade is still hot and as it cools, the lids will 'pop' to form a good seal.
      I have achieved several certificates from the International Marmalade Awards for my marmalade-I have been making it for about 50 years!! My method produces a good bright marmalade with a a good set.

      Reply
      • michelle

        January 10, 2018 at 9:27 pm

        I have to try it 🙂 Thanks for sharing Miv!

        Reply

    Make my day! - Share your thoughts... Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Food Photographer & Blogger

    about michelle

    Welcome to my eclectic collection of recipes from all four corners of the world. I hope to inspire you to get into the kitchen and never eat a boring meal ever again. Want to know more?

    More about me →

    Join the
    Greedy Gourmet club!

    Latest Recipes

    • Blue Cheese Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms and Walnuts
    • chicken breast recipes.
      The 10 Best Chicken Breast Recipes
    • Chicken Beyti
    • Sous Vide Chicken Breasts

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Copyright, Privacy & Disclosure Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Services

    • Food Photography
    • Recipe Development
    • Food Videography

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate and affiliate marketer I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Greedy Gourmet