"What could unite octogenarian Cumbrian farmers, diplomats from Japan, Spain and Australia and Paddington Bear?" said Hannah Al-Othman in The Guardian. "The answer, of course, is marmalade."
The World Marmalade Awards celebrated its 20th year at Dalemain Mansion, near Penrith in Cumbria, this weekend. It was a "showcase of English eccentricity", with a flock of "spray-painted orange sheep", a "giant red squirrel" and Paddington "wandering among the marmalade aficionados".
Set up in 2005 by Jane Hasell-McCosh, in a bid to lure tourists to Cumbria as the rural county reeled from an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, the event has now become a global festival. This year, it has drawn more than 3,200 entries, from locations as far-flung as South Korea, New Zealand and Botswana.
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This year's marmalade contenders had a variety of quirky ingredients – from Scotland's bright-orange Irn-Bru to Belgian blue beer and Taiwanese orchids. Hitomi Wakamura, from Japan, scooped first place with her yuzu and pear marmalade – the first time in the competition's 20-year history that an overseas contestant has been awarded the top prize.
"I've been to the festival twice, and it's properly magical", said Sophia Money-Coutts in The Times. "Eccentric, totally charming and very, very British. I can't think why Richard Curtis hasn't made a film about it (yet)."
Each jar of marmalade is tasted at the "'Saltburn'-esque house" in the Lake District National Park by a panel of expert judges. Marks are awarded on everything from colour and clarity to peel proportion, sweetness and aroma. "In truth, creating the perfect marmalade is an art."
Wakamura's winning preserve is now on sale at London's Fortnum & Mason, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the charity Hospice UK. But if £7.95 for a jar seems a bit steep, there are plenty of less pricey top-quality marmalades to be found at the supermarket.
Our "marmalade-loving tasting panel" gave Morrison's The Best Thick Cut Seville Orange Marmalade the highest score, said Which?. The orange flavour is "spot on", and the "bitter tang" is a major draw. Other standout options include Duchy Organic Seville Orange Marmalade Thick Cut and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Bitter Seville Orange Marmalade.
My top pick is Wilkin & Sons' "dark gooey" Tiptree 'Tawny' Orange Thick Cut Marmalade, said Xanthe Clay in The Telegraph. Ideal for those who love a "bitter homemade marmalade", it's "well balanced", with an excellent consistency that's "neither stiff set nor runny".
