It's that time of year when one tramps round a rather grey town centre, wishing for some sunshine.  Then suddenly there's the greengrocer's shop with boxes of glorious Seville oranges piled outside.  Into the basket they go, with a few of their other citrus cousins, and all the way home the mind is busy deciding what sorts of marmalade to make.  Out with the preserving pan and the recipe books for a happy hour or so browsing and choosing.  Let's face it, this is exactly the sort of thing that the WI is known for - and why not!!  What can be better than freshly home-made marmalade on hot toast to transform one's view of that grey townscape? 

There's plenty of incentive to indulge in some marmalade making at the moment, because some enterprising souls are now staging marmalade festivals.  The World's Original Marmalade Awards & Festival in Cumbria is on the second weekend in February.  The Herefordshire Marmalade Festival, in aid of St. Michael's Hospice, is held at Bromyard over two weekends, and will finish on 20th February in 2011.  There was one at Hambledon, Norfolk, in 2010.  On top of that, the entry forms for the agricultural shows are beginning to arrive, and Burwarton Show probably won't be the only one to have a marmalade class.  So quite apart from satisfying the demands of family and friends, there are lots of incentives for settling down to producing some. 

The first question, of course, is what sort to make?  Three-fruit is very popular nowadays, particularly with those who like something a bit lighter, and lime has many fans.  Dark Oxford or Old English seems to have a particularly masculine appeal.  Pink grapefruit and lemon is a refreshing combination, and kumquats make a delicious but unusual version - work the fiddly business of preparing them - but rather expensive!  Then there's the question of which method to use.  The old habit of soaking the fruit overnight in the water it not followed so much nowadays.  Some like to cook the oranges whole in a pressure cooker, others stick to the traditional open-pan system.  Choice of sugar(s) is also interesting; jam sugar helps to ensure setting, unrefined "golden" sugars add a richer note to the flavour, and muscovado produces a deep colour and muscular taste.  Whisky has always been a popular additive; so is ginger, and some people nowadays like to pep up their pots with chillies. 

For those who still need a bit of encouragement to get started, here's a genuine WI recipe, from The Complete Book of Home Preserving by Mark Norwak, published in the 'WI Life & Leisure' series. 

Seville Orange Marmalade  1kg/2lb Seville oranges, 2lts/4pts water, 1 lemon, 2kg/4lb sugar.  Wipe the fruit and cut the oranges in half.  Squeeze out the juice and the pips.  Tie the pips into a piece of muslin to suspend in the pan.  Put the orange juice in the pan with the water and juice of the lemon.  Slice the peel thinly and add to the pan.  Simmer form about 1 hour 30 minutes, until the peel is soft and the liquid is reduced by half.  Take out the bag of pips and squeeze out any liquid into the pan.  Stir in the sugar over low heat until dissolved.  Boil rapidly to setting point.  Cool for about 15 minutes in the pan.  Stir well, pour into hot jars and screw on the lids whilst still hot.