I’d never made marmalade before, but inspired by an article and recipe written by one of my baking heroes Dan Lepard I read last week, I decided to have a stab. It is a little time consuming, but it’s very satisfying, and it also makes your kitchen smell awesome. It starts with a fresh, zingy citrus whiff, and then at some point during the process it suddenly changes, and BANG! Your kitchen smells like marmalade.

I was pretty pleased with the results. The only things I’d say were that I wish it had set a bit firmer, but as I understand it this can be a bit hit and miss, and I also prefer a bit more peel in my marmalade, so I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly.This should make around 4 big-ish jars, or a couple of bigger Kilner style preserve jars.

Ingredients

400g Seville oranges (about four)

Zest of 1 additional orange

1 lemon

1 litre water

775g white sugar

25g dark muscovado sugar

Method

One thing you’re going to need to make the sweet stuff is some muslin, and a jam / sugar thermometer. Neither are particularly expensive, and are worth having anyway, so put your hand in your pocket.

So, first up, using a knife or a peeler remove all of the orange zest in strips. You mostly want the skin and not the white pith underneath. Once you’ve done this, shred it so it’s in nice thin strips, and then tie these in a small square of muslin.

Now slice all the fruit, lemon included, and pop into a sauce pan, making sure to pour in any juice released during the slicing. Add the muslin wrapped zest, pour over the water, and then simmer with a lid on for around 2 hours.

After the two hours, remove the muslin bag and set aside on a plate, then line a colander or large sieve with muslin and place over a bowl. Tip the contents of the pan into it, and then leave to drip for an hour. You want to collect as much of the liquid as possible, as it contains pectin, which is what will set the marmalade. It requires a bit of patience, and don’t be tempted to squeeze the muslin, as this will make your marmalade cloudy.

After the dripping, you should have about 750ml of liquid. Boil it down if you have more, or add water if you have less. Add the sugar and the loose zest from the muslin bag to the liquid, bring to the boil and using the jam thermometer simmer the liquid at 104c. Keep simmering at this temperature for five or so minutes, and then test how it’s setting.

To do this, put a spoonful of the marmalade on a cold plate (you could put one in the fridge if you want to be super organised) and after cooling for five minutes, swipe your finger through it. The skin of it should crinkle, but if it doesn’t simmer it for a few minutes more.

Now take your pan off the heat, leave to cool off for 20 minutes, and then spoon the marmalade into sterilised jars. You can sterilise your jars by placing them in a hot oven for a few minutes, or by pouring boiling water into them. Seal the jars with wax paper disks (you can get these from most big supermarkets and kitchen shops) and cellophane and then leave to cool overnight to set.

And that’s it. Have it with hot, buttered toast, crumpets or my fave, hot cross buns.

I’m going to be away for Easter in Australia visiting the future in-laws, so am going to miss out on the traditional treats that I’d be indulging in with the family down in Cornwall.

Food wise, the main thing I’m going to miss is the Hot Cross Buns. I love them. Toasted, slathered in melting butter and a good dollop of course bitter sweet orange marmalade. Anyway, I told myself that I wasn’t going to miss out, so decided to make my own for the first time. This recipe is lifted pretty much lock, stock and barrel from here on the BBC Food website, and the results went down a storm.

Ingredients

625g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground mixed spice

45g unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

85g sugar

1 lemon, zest only

1½ tsp fast-action yeast

1 free-range egg

275ml tepid milk

125g mixed dried fruit

For the topping

2 tbsp plain flour

vegetable oil, for greasing

1 tbsp golden syrup, gently heated, for glazing

Method

For the buns, sieve the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into a large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips creating a breadcrumb like mixture. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the sugar and lemon zest and yeast.

Now beat the egg, add to the flour with the tepid milk and mix together to a form a soft, pliable dough and then turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Carefully work the mixed dried fruit into the dough until well combined. Knead lightly for at least 5 minutes.

Grease a large mixing bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into the prepared bowl, then cover with a cling film and set aside in a warm place for one hour to prove. Turn out the proved dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back the dough. Shape it into a ball again and return it to the bowl, cover again and set aside for a further 30 minutes to rise.

After half an hour, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten slightly into a bun shape using the palms of your hands. Cover the buns with the tea towel and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Grease a baking tray with butter and transfer the buns to the tray. Wrap the tray with the buns on it loosely in greaseproof paper, then place inside a large polythene bag. Tie the end of the bag so that no air can get in and set aside in a warm place for a further 40 minutes to rise.

While this is going on, Preheat the oven to 240 C, then prepare the cross topping by mixing the plain flour to a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons of cold water. When the buns have risen, remove the bag and the greaseproof paper. Spoon the flour mixture into a small plastic bag, nip off the tip of one of the corners to create a piping bag, and pipe a cross across each bun.

Now, transfer the buns to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the hot golden syrup, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

The buns will be very sticky to start with, but the golden syrup will sink in over time. Eat as suggested, toasted with butter and orange marmalade, or however you like them.