Oranges demand ahead of marmalade awards

Entries have begun to arrive for the World Marmalade Awards with the first coming on Christmas Day from San Francisco.

The annual festival at Dalemain, near Penrith in Cumbria, which has been running for more than two decades, takes place on 25 April.

Entry closes on 2 February and samples have already been received from Japan, Canada and Australia as well as closer to home.

Many more are expected, and organisers said they had had a number of requests from would-be contestants about where to buy Seville oranges, which arrive in UK shops this month and are often the preferred variety.

The awards aim to find the "best marmalade in the world" and champion makers of the preserve, which is a favourite of Paddington Bear.

They also celebrate the community, educate through cooking and raise money for charity.

A spokesperson said: "The competition and festival are only made possible by all the people who enter each year, carefully wrapping their jars and taking the time to make and send their marmalade to Dalemain.

"There is also a huge amount of work that the volunteers put in each year from unwrapping the entries to decorating the displays.

"The judges are also volunteers taking time out to use their world class knowledge to help us find the best of the best."

Categories this year include "A Taste From Home Marmalade", inspired by its refugee patron Paddington Bear, and a homage to tastes and cultures for people living far from home.

Another is between the more than 300 past category winners.

Traditionally marmalade makers use Seville oranges as they are stronger and more sour than ordinary eating oranges.

They usually reach the shops in January but in some areas of the UK people have reported that they are sometimes difficult to get hold of until late in the month, if at all.

One would-be award entrant from Orkney told organisers that the fruit was always late arriving on the island, so she was going to have to ask friends further south to send them to her.

Another reported that she was unable to find any at all in Newcastle in 2025.

However, in the past makers have not confined themselves simply to citrus, making use of additional ingredients including capers, tea, and Iron Bru.

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