So what is Yellow Forest Marmalade?
As the favourite food of fictional character Paddington Bear by Michael Bond. It’s quite hard to believe that a sweet, jelly-like spread would be so popular. But here at Yellow Forest we love it, and we want to share our taste of the New Forest with you… but what is marmalade?
The definition has changed over time, but today marmalade is a sweet fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The most popular and well-known version is made from ripe bitter oranges, but it is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots, and other citrus fruits, or a combination of them.
Why is it called Marmalade?
There are many fantastical old tales of how marmalade so came to be. Such as a it was created for Mary Queen of Scots as a remedy for seasickness or that a cargo ship ran aground with cases of Seville oranges from Spain, and from which a towns woman boiled them up with sugar and this made marmalade.
A more accurate (and sadly less interesting) account is that the word ‘marmalade’ comes from a Portuguese word for quince, or marmelo. Originally, marmalade was made from quince, which is a fruit that looks like a pear. This variety of marmalade was expensive, so eventually someone decided to use oranges, which were cheaper compared to quince. Even though the quince was replaced, the name marmalade stuck and on the continent marmelada and similar words is still the word for jam!
Yellow Forest Marmalade
All our Yellow Forest Marmalades are handmade from fresh fruit, simmered until the peel is soft before boiling to a set with sugar. In our opinion, this is the only way to make a good rich marmalade.
We have found the perfect balance of sweet and bitter that uses 100% Seville oranges and we blend it with New Forest honey. The finest slithers of orangey zesty peel bring a flavour explosion with silky smooth local honey to tickle your taste buds. Traditionally eaten at breakfast, quintessentially a British essential, it’s the perfect start to any morning.
Although we also like them in the afternoon with crumpets and we also recommend using it as a topping to a steamed sponge and even chocolate brownies for a choc orange twist…delicious!!
If you fancy or don’t have the time to hand make your own, let us make it for you, it’s ready now to enjoy!
What type of marmalade do we sell?
We sell our most popular recipes, our Yellow Forest Orange Marmalade and our Yellow Forest lemon and orange marmalade. (Seasonally other varieties may be available).
Our super Fruity, tangy and deliciously rich marmalades are blended with New Forest honey from local bees who have made honey out in the New Forest on heather, gorse and brambles and blossom bringing a unique soft sweet flavour packed full of vitamins to your palate.
Take the forest home…
Bring the New Forest inside. You can buy our Yellow Forest artisan Marmalade, Jams & Honey lovingly created here in the New Forest ready for you to enjoy at home.
BUY YOUR MARMALADE HERE
Delicious Yellow Forest facts about orange Marmalade
Did you know that here in England we are so proud of our marmalade, that a festival is dedicated to the stuff? The festival includes a marmalade-making competition, demonstrations and talks from the marmalade experts, music, dancing, and even magicians.
But, by far, the most popular ingredient in marmalade is the bitter Seville orange. Each year Spain grows 15,000 tonnes of this orange for export to Britain just for marmalade making.
It’s been discovered that recipes for jams and jellies that are marmalade-like date back to the 1500s. There’s a recipe that is fairly close to today’s marmalade in a cookbook from 1677, so it’s safe to assume marmalade has been around for quite a while.
