For this week’s taste test, I asked my old River Cottage colleague, friend and author Pam “the Jam” Corbin for advice. “A truly brilliant marmalade,” she says, “is simply one where the peel, the gel, the texture and indeed the flavour are in harmony.
“The amazing and rather magical thing about marmalade,” Pam says, “is that if 100 people made a panful, each one would vary: different sugars, different peel sizes, different boil times and even different water influence the final outcome.” Store-bought products are no different, though most commercially produced marmalades are made with extra pectin, acidity regulators and orange oil, which, while relatively harmless, all affect the taste and texture, and aren’t entirely necessary, either.
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The best supermarket marmalade
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Best overall:
Tiptree ‘tawny’ orange marmalade
£2.95 for 340g at Waitrose (87p/100g)
★★★★☆
A classic dark marmalade with a rich, caramel, orange flavour. Generous and very thick-cut pieces of chewy peel throughout. The second-highest fruit content (47%) of all the marmalades, and a beautifully simple ingredients list: just sugar and Seville oranges, with no added pectin. Incredible quality.
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Best bargain:
Asda Extra Special thick cut dark Seville orange marmalade
£1.86 for 370g at Asda (50p/100g)
★★★★☆
An invitingly deep, caramel-orange aroma and plenty of medium-cut rind throughout. A simple recipe formula and 30% fruit content. Really hits the spot if you like a dark, flavourful marmalade. Incredible value.
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And the rest …
M&S Fairtrade dark Seville orange marmalade
£2.25 for 340g at Ocado (66p/100g)★★★★☆
Classic caramel and bitter orange flavour with a very complex and satisfying taste. Extra-thick and chewy rind, and 40% fruit. Contains Fairtrade-certified sugar.
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Waitrose No 1 vintage marmalade
£3 for 320g at Waitrose (94p/100g)★★★★☆
Aromatic with the scent of molasses, caramel and bitter-orange essential oils. A deeply bitter marmalade that’s rich in flavour, with the molasses adding depth and a mineral, iron-rich quality. Medium set. Another simple recipe formula made with sugar, oranges, molasses and lemon comminute (whole pureed lemon), and no pectin. Very fruit-rich, with 45% fruit.
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St Dalfour orange fruit spread
£2.50 for 284g at Waitrose (88p/100g) £3.25 for 284g at Ocado (£1.14/100g)★★★★☆
Labelled a “fruit spread” rather than marmalade due to its lower sugar content. Intense, candied orange on the nose. Bright orange with a very soft-set jelly and medium-cut rind that’s more tender than most. Aromatic, intensely orangey and sour-forward, with complex, bitter orange undertones. Made from 51% oranges, plus grape and date juice concentrate.
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Robertson’s Golden Shred marmalade
£1.90 for 454g at Tesco (42p/100g) £2 for 454g at Asda (44p/100g)★★★☆☆
A nostalgic brand, dating all the way back to 1864, and my childhood favourite. A beautifully aromatic, crystal-clear jelly enhanced with orange oils. Very few, very fine shreds of peel, and a low 20% fruit content.
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Tesco Finest coarse cut dark Seville orange marmalade
£1.80 for 340g at Tesco (53p/100g)★★★☆☆
Powerful on the nose with a floral, orange aroma. Sweet on the tongue with sourness, followed soon after by complex bitter orange. Medium-dark, with thick-cut and firm-to-the-bite rind. Made with 30% fruit, and contains caramel colouring.
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Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference bitter orange marmalade
£1.80 for 340g at Sainsbury’s (53p/100g)★★★☆☆
A light marmalade with an intense aroma, probably down to the addition of orange oil. A classic, citric-forward twang and complex flavour with wonderfully bitter undertones and a firm-set jelly. Al dente, medium-fine rind suspended sufficiently throughout, and 30% fruit.
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La Vieja Fabrica Seville orange fine cut marmalade
£2.15 for 365g at Morrisons (59p/100g) £2.15 for 365g at Tesco (59p/100g)★★★☆☆
A refined, aromatic, sour-forward marmalade that’s balanced and complex. Soft-set and more subtle than most of the others. Made in Seville with fine-cut oranges by a company founded in 1834. Fruit-rich, too, with 40% fruit.
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Frank Cooper’s fine cut Oxford marmalade
£3.20 for 454g at Tesco (70p/100g) £3.20 for 454g at Sainsbury’s (70p/100g)★★★☆☆
Classic, well-balanced, sour-sweet-bitter complexity, with an intense orange oil aroma. A smooth texture and firm set with incredibly fine-cut rind. Made with 30% fruit.
