Marmalade
logo

The Grand Prix of Marmalade will be held at
Dalemain Mansion, Cumbria, in aid of Hospice at Home

The most delicious event on the preserve maker's calendar is approaching, as top producers and home cooks around the world compete for The World's Best Marmalade title and help to raise money for Hospice at Home: a dedicated nursing service caring for people with a terminal illness who choose to die in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

Anyone can enter, so long as you've made the marmalade yourself, and all the judging is carefully monitored by The Cumbria-Cumberland Federation of Women's Institutes, so it's the perfect opportunity to find out how your best entry compares to others from all around the world.

judging
The judges carefully check every entry and mark it for taste (of course) colour, and set according to the category entered.

Entering the competition is easy, and there are lots of categories to choose from to suit your style of marmalade making. For home cooks the categories are: Seville Orange Marmalade; Romantic Marmalade (sponsored by Tiptree); Citrus Marmalade (sponsored by Rose's); Military Marmalade, for home cooks with family in the Armed Forces (sponsored by Frank Cooper's) in aid of Help for Heroes; Children's Marmalade, made by anyone under the age of 16 (sponsored by Robertson's); Dark Chunky Marmalade; Merry Marmalade, marmalade with alcohol; Man-Made Marmalade, for guys who make their own; and Clergy Marmalade, for ministers, rabbis, monks and anyone working with a religious group. So there is a category for everyone.

judging
We've had hundreds of entries from all over Britain and around the world. Click on the map above to open a file (820kb) showing the counties

You'd be surprised where we get entries from. There's quite a passion for good marmalade in Japan, and some very good home cooks making it there. We've had entries from Canada and the US, but most of all from the UK. And it's not just Scotland, arguably the home of some great women cooks stirring up some mightly fragrant pots of classic Seville orange marmalade. The winner last year was from Morden in London. So if you've been eyeing your own jar and wondering whether it's prize winning then don't delay and send it in. So often we get emails from entrants saying "I didn't realise the judges would score it so highly".

For commercial marmalade makers the categories are: Artisan Producers Marmalade (sponsored by Fortnum & Mason); and Bed and Breakfast Marmalade, for anyone running a B&B who makes their own marmalade.

In the month leading up to the festival there will be other events to take part in. On the 4th February join our 'Taste of Marmalade Cruise’ and our a two-course marmalade lunch in the Dalemain Mansion Mediaeval Hall. On the 13th February we have our 'Peal of Marmalade' concert with The Wordsworth Singers, at St. Andrew's Church, Penrith. There'll be lots more to do on at the weekend.

To enter, all you need to do is read through the rules here, fill out an application form, package your marmalade entry well (see the demonstration video below) and send it together with your entry form and entry fee - £5 per jar; £1 for children; commercial entries £25 for first jar, £18 for subsequent jars - to us by Sunday 7th February. Either post your entries to us or leave it at one of our collection points around the country. For full details go to www.marmaladefestival.com/competition.html

Looking forward to meeting you on the day!

jane

Jane Hasell-McCosh
Founder of the World's Original Marmalade Festival

jane