Oxford Marmalade is a traditional British recipe for a classic dark preserve of Seville oranges and sugar thickened with a liquid made from the orange pips that is typically served for breakfast. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Oxford Marmalade.
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Orange marmalade may have begun its British life in Dundee, but Oxford marmalade soon caught up with its Northern progenitor and became the other classic kind of British marmalade.
Ingredients:
1.5kg Seville oranges
2.7kg sugar
Method:
Peel the oranges. Cut the peel into strips and then into fine strips. Chop the fruit into small pieces and reserve the pips, placing them in a small bowl. Then place the strips of peel and orange flesh into a large bowl. Bring 3.5l of water to a boil and pour 550ml over the pips and the remainder over the orange zest and flesh. Cover both bowl and place in a cool spot over night.
The following day, the pips will be covered with a soft, transparent, jelly. Lift the pips into a fine nylon sieve, stir with a spoon and pour the pips' soaking water over them and into the bowl containing the flesh and zest of the oranges (you're basically trying to wash out the jelly from the pips into the big bowl). Continue passing water over the pips (take it from the big bowl) until all the jelly covering them has gone. Discard the pips at this point.
Tip the ingredients of the large bowl into a pan, bring to a boil and continue cooking until the peel is very soft (at least 20 minutes) also, the longer the mixture boils at this point the darker the marmalade will become. When ready, take the pan off the heat and stir in the sugar. Continue stirring until it has all dissolved. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil and continue boiling gently until the marmalade has reached the correct colour for you. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly for 15 minutes.
Test for setting by placing a plate in the fridge. Spoon a little of the jelly onto the plate, allow to cook then move it with your fingernail. If a crinkly skin forms then the jelly is ready. If not continue boiling for 5 minutes more and test again.
Skim the surface with a slotted spoon then ladle into sterilized jars that have been warmed in an oven set to 100°C for 10 minutes. Allow 1cm of head space then secure the lid, allow to cool and store.
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