Short and oh so sweet
Seize the season for Seville oranges and make your own marmalade
Makes 3-4kg 1.5kg Seville oranges Juice of 2 lemons Approx 3kg granulated sugar Scrub the oranges and put them into a preserving pan with the lemon juice. Cover them with cold water and weigh them down with a plate and a weight to keep them submerged, or use a lid. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 2 hours or until the skins are soft and tender when poked with a sharp knife or skewer. (This stage can be done the night before and the oranges left to cool overnight.) Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas 1. Remove the oranges one by one from the water and, using a sharp knife, cut them into quarters. Reserve the cooking liquor for later. Separate the skins from the flesh and remove the pips, saving these for later. Cut the skins into thick or fine shreds, depending on your preference. I do this by hand, but you can do it in a food processor if you wish. The flesh becomes soft and breaks up but any remaining large pieces should be cut small. Weigh the shredded skin and flesh, along with any juice that came out of the oranges. You will need 2kg sugar and 750ml water for every 1kg of fruit. Place the skins, flesh, juice and cooking liquor in a large preserving pan. Place the sugar in an ovenproof dish and put it into the oven for about 20-30 minutes to warm through. Meanwhile, make the pectin stock. Put the reserved pips in a small saucepan with enough water to just cover them and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain the liquid into the pan with the oranges. Bring the ingredients in the preserving pan to the boil. Add the warmed sugar, ladleful by ladleful, and bring back to the boil. It should dissolve immediately. Skim any scum from the surface. Boil hard until setting point is reached, resisting the temptation to stir or you will create more bubbles and scum. Once your marmalade has reached setting point, switch off the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir through once to disperse the fruit, then bottle into warmed, sterilised jars. From ‘The Gentle Art of Preserving’ by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi (Kyle Books), £25 For orange curd, go to telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink Stainless steel, 9L capacity £60 (johnlewis.com) Collects tiny shavings of citrus peel in the container behind £6 (johnlewis.com) Label your marmalade stylishly £2.25 for 20 (hedgehogshop.co.uk) With large easy-to-read dial and non-slip clip £14 (johnlewis.com) Peels the skin, leaves the pith £7.99 (lakeland.co.uk)