by Georgina Adamson

My approach to making marmalade is fairly basic, probably because I often had buckets of fruit to deal with. Arm yourself with a board, a large bowl for cut-up fruit and a smaller one for seeds and pith, and a good sharp knife. A towel for under the board is handy as this job will get messy.

Prepare fruit: cut into small pieces with not too much pith, it’s really the skin you need. If I am juicing fruit regularly, I save the skins, put them in the freezer and take them out when I’m making marmalade. Save your pips in a smaller bowl.

Cover the fruit in the bowl with just enough water to cover, don’t drown, along with the pips tied in net or muslin. You’ll get lots of pectin from these that helps set the marmalade.

Next day, measure the contents into a saucepan and add the equivalent weight of sugar. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar then turn down to a gentle simmer. Enjoy the citrus aroma in the kitchen while the marmalade cooks for at least an hour, testing now and then with a dollop on a plate to see if it is setting.

Prepare jars … this is important. Place clean jars into the oven on low for ten minutes. Gently fill clean jars with hot marmalade and seal with lids that have been boiled.