Recipe: Make Award Winning Marmalade - Marmalade Workshop with Vivien Lloyd (2024)

Recipe:

Make Award Winning Marmalade

Marmalade Workshop with Vivien Lloyd

Just over a week ago I was invited to attend a seasonal preserves workshop with two other food writers and bloggers, Sue and Charlotte; it was an exciting opportunity to make award-winning marmalade with Vivien Lloyd, in her lovely countryfarmhousejust outside Bath.I have attended one of Viv’s excellent workshops before, regular readers may remember my Damson Day post here:Damson Day with Vivien Lloyd: Autumn Preserves Workshop in an Old Somerset Farmhouse,so, with memories of excellent tuition, fine food, friendship along with a little bit of fun, I was really looking forward to making marmalade with Viv, Sue and Charlotte on our aptly named Marmalade Monday. (Or #MarmaladeMonday for all of you twitterers out there!)

Armed with my solo jar of marmalade for Viv to cast her WI judge’s eye over, I joined Sue and her SEVEN samples at Viv’s lovely home.My marmalade sample was a jar of Three Fruit Marmalade, that I made a few weeks ago – you can read all about it here:The Marmalade Awards, Paddington Bear, Three Fruit Marmalade Recipe and Giveaway; I was delighted whenViv gave me a very credible 17 out of 2o points for it, so not bad for a marmalade beginner! ( I am an avid preserver of chutney, jam, jelly, cheese, relish and curd, but I have only made marmalade three or four times before) The object of the Marmalade Monday workshop was toobserve Vivien’stechniquefor making this classic preserve and then to prepare some oranges for marmalade to make at home,hopefullyto award-winning standard for The World’s Original Marmalade Awards,that are being held at Dalemain Mansion on the 2nd and 3rd March this year.

The day started with a breakfast of chocolate brioche, marmalade muffins, assorted breads and marmalade of course! I also added my personal touch and made some butter curls to accompany our brioche and bread basket!

Vivien had planned a wonderful day of tuition, to start with we were to prepare and make marmalade with her, taking some of our shredded peel home with us, to make marmalade by ourselves as an entry into the Marmalade Awards; then, we would make some Seville Orange Curd, some Marmalade Muffins (recipe courtesy of Allison Patrick) as well as some Seville Orange Ice Cream…..we started by cutting our oranges, juicing them and removing all the flesh, pips and pith……

…..the pith and pips were then pulsed and chopped and put inside a muslin cloth………

……and then the SHREDDING started! Vivien showed us how to shred, and we were then on our own; shredding commenced at about ten o’clock and went on for two hours, but it gave us a chance to quiz Viv about marmalade, the awards and ask her for some preserving tips and tricks. I actually LOVE shredding andenjoyedmy two-hour shredding session…..although I had “shredders finger” afterwards, a common complaint amongstmarmalademakers!

Some of the oranges were prepared for the Marmalade Monday workshop, to make on the day, and as I said before, the rest of the oranges were shredded, and juiced for homework! We all took a container of the juice, muslin bag of pith and pips, as well as the shredded peel home with us…….

Marmalade making then started on earnest and Viv showed us how to make a batch from start to finish……..

I hope my photos of our marmalade workshop will aid you in any marmalade making you embark on; however, Viv also has a very handy and informative video here: Making Marmalade.Having cut, juiced, shredded and stirred all morning, it was time for lunch, which was served in Vivien’s beautiful farmhouse dining room……..

The ability to provide informative instruction is a talent that Viv clearlypossesses, but to beableto provide bespoke meals for all whoattendherworkshops is a real bonus, and the food neverdisappoints, asyoucan see from the photos above.More details can be found about Viv’s preserves workshops here:VivienLloyd Workshops,Viv works with the seasons and seasonal fruit (and vegetables) and all of her workshops include a two-course lunch. Luxury, overnight accommodation can be booked at The Old Vicarage in Kilmersdon, nearby. I can recommend Viv’s workshops withoutreservation, plus, if you want to learn TRADITIONALpreserving methods, then you must try one of her workshops first, before any modern “style abovesubstance” courses that are so often available!

We continued after lunch by making Seville orange curd, as well as muffins andice cream, but for me, the real star of thedaywasthe excellent, clear and informativeadviceand help that Viv gave us about marmalade making. All three of us are entering our home-made marmalade into thisyear’s Marmalade Awards, and although I don’t expect a Gold award, I do feel that maybe just one of my many entries (yes, I am now anofficialmarmalade making addict)may scoop a bronze or silver, if I am lucky – WHO am I kidding! Although, all of this marmalade making has really JUST been for fun, whilst supporting local charities and making numerous jars for gifts this Christmas!

With thanks to Vivien and her husband Nigel for a fabulous day, and for all the amazing food, wine and beer (we had a real ale and marmaladematchingworkshop the night before!) as well as the superb tuition. Iwouldalso like to say a BIG thanks to Sue and Charlotte, who picked me up and dropped me off at the railway station, Mwua Mwua!I duly made my “home-work” marmalade, and it is currently winging itswayto the Marmalade Awards, well packed of course! I am now working on my next batch, a pink grapefruit and lemon marmalade, and many cakesandbakes will be following on the blog no doubt, as I make my way through dozens of jars of the amber nectar, and no I DON’T mean beer!

I could have added many more images, but I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared – talking about sharing, I have Vivien’s permission to share her award winning marmalade recipe, which is below……why not give it a go, or book in to one her workshops? I will be attending the Marmalade Awards this year, where I will be meeting up with some other food blogger friends, Sue and Janice, who have made and entered marmalade……yes, it IS addictive! One last thing to mention, the iBook® First Preservesgiveawaywinnerhasbeen chosen by Vivien, and will be announced in the post as well as here – and the winner is……Elizabeth Pearson who won with her BRILLIANT little poem:

I’ve now got to 60 void of these skills
Marmalade making, it’s a battle of wills
Seville is the type I’d love dearly to make
Win me a book please for heaven’s sake

Well done Elizabeth, I will be incontact! I will leave you with Viv’s marmalade recipe, have a happy Valentine’s Day and seeyousoon! Karen

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend a marmalade workshop by Vivien Lloyd free of charge; I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinionsaremyown. Withthanksto Vivien for hergenerosity. Karen S Burns-Booth

My Three Fruit Marmalade:

You can read all about making Marmalade and the Marmalade Awards in Vivien’s Blog here:

Marmalade Awards