Marmalade champions are the toast of Tayside

AWARDS: Sweet success for pair who beat off competition to win world titles

A Dundee marmalade maker used her colourful clan heritage to triumph at the World Marmalade Awards.

Catherine Lawson and Anne Reith from Arbroath were both honoured in the prestigious contest, which attracted almost 3,000 entries from across the globe.

Unable to make the awards ceremony at the Dalemain Mansion in Cumbria, they were presented with silver spoons and certificates at Mackays factory in Arbroath yesterday.

Catherine won the Stirring of the Clans category, awarded to marmalade that is inspired by clan heritage.

“I looked up my surname and it is associated with the Clan MacLaren, which has green, yellow, red and blue in its tartan,” she said.

“I thought I’ll go with the colours – as well as the Seville oranges, I added lemon for the yellow, lime for the green, raspberry juice for the red and blueberry juice for the blue.

“The raspberries were from my own garden. The blueberries would have also been from my own garden – only I ate them!”

Anne won the Hairdressers award, for marmalade which is a “cut above the rest”.

The former hairdresser said: “My friends have been saying for years, ‘Anne I don’t know why you don’t get your marmalade tested because it’s the best’.

“It’s the first time I’ve entered the competition so I’m absolutely delighted to win one of the 16 categories.

“I make my marmalade with sour oranges, half a sweet orange and lemon. I enjoy making it and give it away to anyone who’d like a jar.”

Catherine was involved in promoting the competition in her role as a Marie Curie fundraiser, with the majority of the entry fee from Scottish entries going to the cancer charity.

“I’m quite embarrassed to have won, though it’s great that the home of marmalade has won a category for the first time in the 10 years the competition has been going,” she added.

In the children’s category of the competition, Lucy Jane Birkett from Perthshire won the label section.

Entries from Australia, Portugal and Japan also won some of the competition’s categories.

Martin Grant, managing director of Mackays which is the main sponsor of the competition, said: “Scotland has a proud marmalade-making heritage, however the worldwide appeal of marmalade is undeniable and these awards are testament to that.”

I’m quite embarrassed to havewon. CATHERINE LAWSON

Picture: Paul Reid. The fruits of success: Catherine Lawson, left, and Anne Reith with their awards.