"Silver Shred has a very subtle marmalade flavour that children simply love. By using it you introduce good old British tradition onto the breakfast table early in their lives."
Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the World Marmalade Festival
If your name is Frank Cooper, or you’re a Rose or a Robertson, you are invited to a bit of a spread in Cumbria on February 14th.
To celebrate its sponsorship of three categories at The World’s Original Marmalade Festival, Premier Foods, which has the marmalade brands of Frank Cooper’s, Robertson’s and Rose’s, is offering to pay the admission price to the Festival for people sharing these names.
All you need to do is take proof of identity, in the form of a utility bill, driving licence or passport showing your name, and you will be able to enjoy some of the most sumptuous marmalade tasting in the world.
Marmalades submitted for judging in the Festival will be laid out for you to sample and you can also enjoy a food fair, with a marmalade focus, and tour the mansion and gardens of Dalemain, near Penrith, which is where the Festival is held.
Premier Foods is sponsoring the Children’s, Military and Any Citrus categories of the Festival. The first of these is open to any child up to the age of 16. Military marmalade will come from serving servicemen and women and Any Citrus is a specialist category for marmalades made from different citrus fruits.
Other quirky categories are Clergy, Man-Made and Tipsy Marmalade, (including alcohol!). There are also categories for bed and breakfast establishments, Seville orange marmalades, dark and chunky marmalades, romantic marmalade and artisan-made marmalade.
All marmalades are scored by judges and winners in each category receive a prize. There is a silver cup for the best overall marmalade, given by the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers , and any double gold winner in the artisan competition will have the chance to have their marmalade sold in Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly.
Festival founder and organiser, Jane Hasell-McCosh, says: “The idea of celebrating National Marmalade Weekend here, with various people who share a name with some of Britain’s best-loved marmalades is as quirky as our Festival itself and just the sort of fun we wish to enjoy as we spread the love of marmalade across the world.
“We look forward to welcoming lots of Frank Coopers, Roses and Robertsons on February 14th. Who knows, we might even get a winner with one of these names, if they also enter a marmalade for judging.”
