Marmalade

To make around 2.5kg:

10 Seville oranges
4 lemons
4 litres water
2 - 2.5kg sugar, to taste (I put mine in a low oven before stirring in so it dissolves faster)

Before you start place a small saucer in the freezer for an hour or so.  You will use this when testing for a set.

Place your jars and lids in the oven at 160 C for ten minutes to sterilise.  Carefully remove them and stand on a board close to where you are making the marmalade.

Take a large pan and fill with 2 litres of water and the juice of 2 lemons.

Add the oranges to the pan and boil for 2 hours. After an hour, add another litre of water and pierce the oranges with a knife - this is to soften the peel, and also give you an orange liquid which will be the base for your marmalade.

Once the oranges feel soft, drain (preserving the liquid) and leave your oranges to cool.

Cut your oranges in half and use a teaspoon to scoop out the inside (including pips and pith which you can scrape off the inside of the peel with your teaspoon) - add to the liquid.  Most recipes use muslin, but this way seems easier, you just drain the mixture later.

Add another 500ml of boiling water and bring your liquid/pip/pith mixture to the boil and simmer for 6-7 minutes

Whilst your mixture is simmering, cut the orange peel - I use about half of the peel cut finely.

Take your pan off the heat and pass the mixture through a fine sieve (preserving the liquid).  Push down with a spoon to get the juices out.  Be careful not to let the bits get through the sieve. It will still taste lovely but your marmalade might be a bit cloudy.

Add your chopped peel and 500ml of boiling water to the sieved liquid and return to the heat.

Add 2-2.5kg caster sugar and bring to a rolling boil (where the entire surface is bubbling) for 20 minutes.

Take off the heat, skim off the foam, add the juice of 2 lemons (no pips) and bring to a rolling boil for a further 5 minutes.

Test for a set:  remove your saucer from the fridge and place small amount (teaspoon) of marmalade onto it.  Lean the saucer from side to side so it spreads a little over the surface.  Place the saucer in the fridge for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes take it out and push the jam lightly with your finger.  If the surface wrinkles up you have a set.  If not, put your saucer back in the freezer.  Return the pan to the rolling boil stage for 5 minute intervals and keep testing for a set until you have one. 

Once you have a set take a tablespoon of butter and add it to your marmalade - this will get rid of the foam on the top.

Leave for 20 minutes to settle (otherwise your peel will all rise to the top of the jars).

To put the marmalade into jars, use a ladle and a funnel.  Fill the jars until almost 100% full (a few mm below the very top) and place the lids on tightly immediately.