As we are in the middle of the Seville and blood orange season we thought we would speak to local experts in all things preserves, Fiona and Michael Audsley from Pittenweem Preserves.
Fiona has been making preserves for over 35 years and in 2017 she started selling to a local shop. Nestled in their garden in Pittenweem is a beautiful dedicated kitchen called the Jam Shack. Using local, in season fruit and vegetables, Fiona creates mouthwatering jams, marmalades and chutneys. All the preserves are made traditionally in Maslin pans, in small batches no bigger than fourteen jars at a time. The best seller in the shop by quite a margin is her Raspberry Jam, which was awarded Gold for Best Product at the 2020 Scottish Speciality Food Show. However seasonal favourites such using rhubarb, blackberries or chuckleberries are also firm favourite.
Fiona was kind enough to let us share her Blood Orange Marmalade recipes. We hope you enjoy!
Pittenweem Preserves
The Jam Shack
59 High Street
Pittenweem
KY10 2PL
Tel: 01333 312008
- 1 Kilo Blood Oranges
- 2 Kilos Granulated Sugar
Scrub the oranges, remove the buttons and cut in half.
Squeeze out the juice and keep to one side.
Slice the peel (pith and all) into shreds, thin, medium or thick depending on your taste.
Put the peel and juice into a bowl with 2.5 litres of water and leave to soak overnight.
Put the whole mixture into a preserving pan (or large heavy based saucepan) bring to the
boil and then simmer until the peel is tender. This should take a couple of hours.
Stir in the sugar and bring back to the boil.
Boil hard to setting point (see note).
Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Give the marmalade a stir before you bottle it.
Pour into hot, sterilised jars and seal immediately.
Store in a cool, dark place. It will last up to two years.
Note: To test for setting point put a small plate in the freezer. Drop some marmalade on the plate.
It is set if it wrinkles when you push a finger through it.
