Spreading fame: at home with ‘Lady Marmalade’
Dalemain is renowned for its festival celebrating the breakfast favourite, and the Hasell-McCosh family are keen to keep their Lake District haven a preserve for all, writes Arabella Youens
Anyone walking along the Ullswater Way, a 21-mile trail through the Lake District National Park, in early March might have been surprised to spot a flock of sheep sporting orange coats, grazing on the Dalemain Estate. Embracing all things orange has become part of a tradition to herald the start of the annual Marmalade Awards.
This year, Dalemain’s owners, Robert and Jane Hasell-McCosh, took the decision to cancel last weekend’s festival, usually held to celebrate the announcement of the winners. Fortunately, however, the all-important judging had already taken place.
Established in 2005 to draw tourists back to the North West after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, as well as raising money for a local hospice and palliative care causes, the awards receive entries from all over the world. To date, they have raised more than £250,000.
The 2020 “Double Gold” winner is Jonathan Hamel Cooke, from Buckinghamshire, with his Vale of Aylesbury Dark and Chunky; the judges commented on its “wonderful depth of flavour”. As a reward for his efforts, his recipe will be made commercially and sold in Fortnum & Mason and at Dalemain throughout the year.
Guest judges taste approximately 3,000 types of marmalade, which are entered from countries including South Korea, Cameroon and, this year for the first time, Afghanistan, where there is a movement to encourage local farmers to plant citrus trees instead of poppies. Entries can be sent directly until the closing date in early February.
Alternatively, for those who don’t want to risk the post or travel to Cumbria specially, Fortnum & Mason operate a “marmalade exchange”, which allows entrants to take their jars to collection points in London and receive a jar of Fortnum’s own in return.
The award categories are as inventive as the entries. There is a very popular Octogenarian’s Marmalade category as well as a Gardener’s Marmalade class, which once resulted in someone entering a jar of marmalade made with Japanese knotweed. It doesn’t end there. There are awards for first-timers, for bell ringers, for the Commonwealth and the MarmalAshes – a contest between the “First XII” team (they play the 12th man) of marmalade makers from the town of Buninyong in Australia and the home team at Dalemain (often won by the Aussies).
Marmalade-making – which, when done properly, takes several hours and involves repetitive slicing and boiling – has benefits beyond just enjoying the fruits of the labour. Since the festival was cancelled, fans on Twitter have
Hundreds of jars sit ready to be judged at the Marmalade Awards, above, which began in 2005
been sharing DH Lawrence’s quote: “I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It’s amazing how it cheers one up to shred orange and scrub the floor.”
Jane Hasell-McCosh says its therapeutic benefits shouldn’t be underestimated. “One of the things that I find most moving is the personal letters that we receive from people who are making the marmalade.
“In some cases, they are using their recipe as a way of celebrating a memory of a relative. Others tell of using a particular jam pan that has been passed down the generations.”
Another aspect that she likes is that the whole event is spectacularly British. Local branches of the Girl Guides and the WI (naturally) get involved and a festival service takes place in the church. For many years, the author Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, was a friend of the awards; Paddington is an honorary patron and makes an annual appearance. “He casts a lovely glow over the festival,” says Jane.
It was back in the Seventies when Jane and Robert, who have three children, moved into the house. Its grand Georgian facade of finely dressed pink stone belies its earlier origins. Records show that Dalemain (which means “manor in the valley”) has been continuously inhabited since the reign of Henry II: for four centuries it was home to the Laytons, and for the past 350 years it’s been in the hands of the Hasells.
“It’s rather extraordinary to have this long line of stability,” says Jane. “In our everchanging world, marmalade-making represents something solid and dependable and it’s wonderful to be part of that.”
When Jane and Robert took over, there was an immediate understanding that the house and estate, which runs down to Ullswater Lake where they grant licences for moorings, was a living entity, not a museum. Alongside typical activities such as sheep farming and property letting, the couple have embraced the opportunity to open the doors to the public.
“We love having people come here to learn about the past, but it’s important to look to the future,” explains Jane. “I’m quite sure that key to the success of any house like this is that it can’t be kept in a vacuum and behind closed gates.”
Now the marmalade awards are over (there are plans to host a celebration later in the year to make up for the festival cancellation), the focus turns to another aspect close to Jane’s heart, the five-acre garden.
Enjoying views over the ancient landscape of the Cumbrian Fells, it won the Historic Houses/Christie’s Garden of the Year award in 2013. Resolutely devoid of any “gimmickry”, the gardens have been established over the generations and now include a Tudor knot garden, a Rose Walk with over 200 old fashioned roses, and a children’s garden with plants which are named after animals such as catmint.
Visitors travel from miles around to admire its Himalayan Blue poppies, planted by Jane’s mother-inlaw, Sylvia McCosh, a renowned plantswoman. Fans make pilgrimages from as far afield as Japan to see them in bloom from May to July.
“The events work well for the estate, as we have the marmalade in the winter and the garden in the spring and summer,” says Jane.
This year, they also plan to hold a harvest festival weekend with traditional activities including heavy shire horses, apple juicing and tree planting.
“I really feel that there’s a disconnect with nature today,” she adds. “People don’t grow things as much as they used to and yet I believe the desire to do so is strong. September should be about harvest collection, making jams and chutneys, and we hope to do our bit to encourage that process.”
‘We love having people come to learn about the past, but it’s important to look to the future’
Dalemain’s gardens are open Sunday to Thursday; dalemain.com