Traditional orange marmalade

• By Frances Bissell

This recipe will make around four kilos of marmalade.

You will need:

1.5kg of Seville oranges, three litres of bottled water, about three kilos of granulated sugar.

Rinse the oranges, put them into a large non-reactive saucepan with the water and simmer for an hour or so until the oranges are soft. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the oranges to cool before halving them. Keep the cooking-water. Scoop out the pulp and seeds into a sieve set over a bowl, and push through as much as you can. Finely slice the orange halves, or process them for a few seconds. Add the orange peel to the sieved mixture that has come through into the bowl and weigh it. For every 500g, stir in 500ml of cooking water, making up the quantity if necessary with more bottled water, or lemon juice, or a little of both. Weigh it again.

For every 500g of this mixture, add 625g of sugar and put everything into a large pan. Heat it gently, and when the sugar has dissolved, bring it to the boil and continue cooking until setting-point is reached; about half an hour at full boil will do it. To test for setting-point, place a spoonful of the mixture onto a cool plate, wait a couple of seconds, then push at it with a spoon. If it has the right jammy consistency, then it is done. When the half-hour is approaching or gone, test repeatedly for setting-point. Remove the pan from the heat. Allow the marmalade to stand for 15 minutes then stir it to distribute the peel evenly. Fill hot, sterilised jars right to the top, seal and label them. For an extra touch of luxury, you can add a generous splash of Scotch whisky just before potting, for a classic orange and whisky marmalade.