cumbria's sunniest food event...

The stage is set for what promises to be another fantastic Cumbrian food event. Sunday the 10th of February, is now National Marmalade Day, and part of the four day Marmalade Festival at Dalemain House organised by Mrs Jane Hasell McCosh in aid of Hospice at Home Carlisle. The core of the festival is a Marmalade competition, which last year received over 350 entries. This year new categories have been included. Aside from the WI "gold standard", i e the traditional Seville Orange category, there is one for Man Made Marmalade, the Clergy and Politicians & Peers of the Realm even have their own category. The Sunday festival climax will take place at Dalemain, which is near Ullswater. There will be lots for the whole family to do with marmalade galore, fantastic local food, lectures, cooking demos, festival bread, sandwich tastings and much more. The children's activities includes the opportunity to meet Paddington Bear (who is also doing a grand tour of the county during the preceding week). Paddington's creator Michael Bond is a patron of Dalemain, and his furry protégé is, of course, the world's number one marmalade fan. The Festival also includes a competition to design a new filling for Paddington's favourite sandwich. Visitors to the Festival Sunday will have a chance to taste the top three entries and chose their favourite. How about Seville marmalade with Green and Black chocolate or Marmalade and banana - go along and pick your winner.

On the 10th, there will also be some mouth watering products on offer from some of the county's top artisan food producers, each with their own special take on the citrus theme. The products include Pink and White grapefruit marmalade, Duck, orange and lime pate, Whisky and marmalade ice cream, various citrus flavoured cheeses from both local producers and some further afield, as well as spiced beef with orange and apple chutney, to name but a few. Exciting cookery demonstrations will be done by food historian and marmalade aficionado Ivan Day, Cumbria's own tv chef Annette Gibbons, Food & Company and Johnny Scott.

Cumbria's artisan bread bakers are currently working hard to develop special and secret recipes in an attempt to secure the title of "Best Marmalade Bread". Seven of the county's best bread makers start to sell their marmalade bread in the shops before the festival. On February 8th, a panel of judges will have their say. They include Dan Lepard, a Master Baker and writer, as well as patron of the festival. Dan's remarkable book "The Handmade Loaf', is considered essential reading for bread makers.

10 February 2008

Dalemain Historic House

The marmalade competition and the festival have caused such a stir that UKTV have designed a segment of their show Market Kitchen around the event. One of Cumbria's great local producers, Jane Maggs from Wild and Fruitful, will appear on the programme to assist the presenter in making a pot of marmalade which will subsequently be entered into the competition. Martin Campbell from Cumbria's Artisan-food magazine will also be on the show, presenting a selection of the Cumbrian citrus themed produce that will be on offer on National Marmalade Day.  more info

Photographs supplied by Artisan Foods