Top 8: Irish marmalades to suit all tastes
There are plenty of Irish producers mixing citrus fruits to provide us with variety and our Top 8 marmalades reflect this.Â
ON warm, buttery toast, croissants or scones, a bitter-sweet dollop of marmalade goes a long way. But think of it for savoury dishes too.
Finish cooked confit duck legs or roasted duck or chicken by heating a few dessertspoons of marmalade with a spoonful of whiskey in a saucepan and a whole star anise (optional) for an easy pour-over sauce. Add to stir-fries with soy sauce.
As an alternative to lemon drizzle cake, dilute 4 dessertspoons of marmalade with a tablespoon of hot water and spoon onto a cake. Add to custard with a little ground nutmeg for a hint of winter warmth, or melt and spoon in streaks over chocolate ice-cream. (You may wish to strain the marmalade to catch the peel.) Add hot water to the leftover peel with honey for a delicious hot drink.
For homemade marmalade, with a mere six-week season, we need to buy Seville oranges now (they can be frozen). They are particularly tart and high in pectin so a gelling agent is often not needed. See recipes online.Â
There are plenty of Irish producers mixing citrus fruits to provide us with variety. We need to continue to support those who contribute hugely to our economy, so our Top 8 reflects this.Â
‘Excellent’ was the unanimous verdict from all who tasted separately due to Covid restrictions – no group think this week. Made from 50% fruit, oranges and lemons, with added pectin and whiskey. Quite toothsome, generous peel sitting in a jellied texture is firm and spreads easily. The taste is interesting and not oversweet. A hint of whiskey is not recognisable but provides added interest. Fair value. Made in Cork. Our top marker.
9
With 51% oranges, unsweetened grape juice and fruit pectin this has a deliciously rich fruit flavour. Tasters didn’t like its over pulpy texture, but all agreed the taste was very good. The peel was thinly sliced and not chewy. Made in Co Cork.
8
We tried the no-peel and its sister Seville orange fine-cut-peel versions. Both had a lovely balance of bitter orange with sugar. 47% fruit in the no- peel and 50% with peel delivered good flavour, and tasters liked its spreadability. Good price. Made in Ireland.
8.25
Fruit at 56% is supplied by oranges 27%, white grapefruit 18%, and lemon 11% delivering a well-balanced mix of fruit and flavour. One found it too sweet. Slightly chewy chunks of peel sit in a jelly that is firm and flavoursome. Tasters particularly liked the texture.
7.5
With 45% fruit – all Seville oranges – the interesting, initial bitter hit mellowed out in the mouth ending in a little sweetness. With a smooth, jellied texture, the medium-cut peel was finer than expected, one taster said it was chewy and another said there was not enough of it. A good product made in Timoleague, Co Cork. Available NeighbourFood and other outlets.
8
Sweet orange 22%, grapefruit 14%, Seville orange 8%, lemon 4% made for a combination that divided tasters, two finding the combination less appealing, the others liking it. A nice cross between pulpy and jelly texture, there is plenty of thinly sliced peel. Made in West Cork.
7.5
A high 61% fruit - 49% navel oranges and 12% lemons – provide a natural pulpy and jellied texture. The peel is quite chunky. The taste is sweeter than expected with so much lemon, perhaps from navel oranges which are usually sweeter than Seville variety. Most tasters thought it a little oversweet but particularly liked the texture. Made by Wexford Home Preserves
7.5
The fruit balance here is 34% Seville oranges and 6% lemon pulp with some lemon juice. With thinly sliced peel, it has a jellied texture.
For one taster there wasn’t quite enough peel, for another it was too lemony, but overall it was deserving of a place in our Top 8. Good for making a marmalade tart. Made in Co Laois.
7.25
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