Why the World Marmalade Awards Matter

The World Marmalade Awards are the most prestigious marmalade competition on earth, and every jar Dauntsey sends to Cumbria is judged blind against thousands of others. Held each year at Dalemain Mansion near Penrith, the awards began in 2005 as a small local competition and now draw thousands of entries from more than 40 countries. We have won five of them. This is what that actually means.

Key Takeaways •       The World Marmalade Awards, founded in 2005 at Dalemain Mansion in Cumbria, are widely regarded as the most prestigious marmalade awards in the world. •       Recent years have seen more than 3,000 entries submitted from across the globe, judged on appearance, colour, texture, set, peel, flavour, aroma and balance. •       Japan has become a genuine marmalade powerhouse, with a sister festival in Yawatahama and recent overall winners coming from Japanese makers. •       Dauntsey Preserves has won five World Marmalade Awards, made using traditional open pan methods and small batch production.

 

What are the World Marmalade Awards?

The World Marmalade Awards are an international marmalade competition held annually at Dalemain Mansion near Penrith in Cumbria. Founded in 2005, they have grown from a small local competition into a truly international celebration of marmalade, attracting thousands of entries from more than 40 countries. Today they are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards in the marmalade world.

That reputation was not bought. It was built slowly, over two decades, by a competition that treats marmalade as a craft rather than a commodity. Entries arrive from artisan producers, specialist food businesses and passionate home cooks, and they are all held to the same standard once the lid comes off.

For a small Wiltshire kitchen like ours, this is the only room in the world where our Seville orange sits beside the best that Japan, Australia and Spain can produce. There is nowhere to hide.

How are the marmalades actually judged?

Marmalades at the World Marmalade Awards are assessed by expert judges on appearance, colour, texture, set, peel quality, flavour, aroma and overall balance. Eight criteria, one jar. Winning a Gold, Silver, Bronze or a Commendation award is not simply a marketing accolade. It is independent recognition that a marmalade has met some of the highest standards in the industry.

Read that list again, because it explains why the awards carry weight. A marmalade can taste wonderful and still lose marks on set. It can have a flawless set and be let down by dull colour or peel cut without care. Balance is the hardest of all. Too much sugar and the citrus disappears. Too little and the bitterness turns aggressive rather than bright.

This is also why an award tells a customer something a label cannot. Anyone can print the word "artisan" on a jar. Very few people can put that jar in front of a panel of experts and come away with a medal.

How fierce is the competition?

Competition is fierce. Recent years have seen more than 3,000 entries submitted from across the globe, ranging from artisan producers and specialist food businesses to passionate home cooks. Those entries are unwrapped, logged and tasted by expert judges, and the majority go home with nothing at all.

Think about what 3,000 entries means in practice. It means the field includes people who have been perfecting one recipe for a decade. It includes commercial kitchens with equipment we do not have. It includes home cooks with a family recipe and nothing to lose. A medal in that context is not a participation ribbon. It is a result.

•       Entries arrive from artisan producers selling commercially, judged on open pan method and craft.

•       Entries arrive from specialist food businesses with serious production capability.

•       Entries arrive from home cooks whose only ambition is to make the best marmalade in the world, and who sometimes do.

Our own entries come from the same pans as the jars you can buy, including our Seville orange marmalade and our thick cut Olde English orange marmalade. Nothing is made specially for the judges.

Why has Japan become a marmalade powerhouse?

One of the most remarkable developments in the history of the awards has been the rise of Japan as a marmalade making powerhouse. The success of the awards inspired the creation of a sister festival in Yawatahama, Japan, and Japanese producers now regularly feature amongst the winners. Recent overall winners have come from Japan, which tells you how global this competition has become.

Their advantage is fruit. Japanese makers work with citrus varieties that most British producers will never handle, including yuzu, mikan and a wide range of regional cultivars grown on hillsides that have been dedicated to citrus for generations. Combine that with a culture of precision, and you get marmalades that are technically immaculate and unlike anything traditionally made in Britain.

The result is that the standard at the top has risen sharply. Fifteen years ago, a British artisan maker was largely competing with other British artisan makers. Today they are competing with Yawatahama. That has been good for marmalade, and it has been good for us, because it forces every batch to be better than the last.

What do the awards actually mean for an artisan producer?

For artisan producers such as Dauntsey Preserves, entering the World Marmalade Awards is about much more than collecting medals. It provides three things that no amount of marketing can buy.

•       Benchmarking. It measures our products against the very best marmalades in the world, not against the shelf next to us in a farm shop.

•       Independent validation. The judges have no relationship with us. They do not know whose jar they are tasting. Their verdict is the closest thing our industry has to an objective standard.

•       Proof of commitment. Entering, year after year, is a public statement that we are willing to be measured.

Winning an award tells customers that a marmalade has been judged by experts and found to be among the finest examples of its type. That is a very different claim from "we think it is lovely", and customers know the difference.

What our five World Marmalade Awards represent

We are proud that Dauntsey Preserves has won five awards at the World Marmalade Awards. That recognition reflects three things we refuse to compromise on: traditional open pan methods, carefully selected ingredients, and small batch production.

Open pan cooking is slower and less forgiving than the alternatives. It demands attention, because the difference between a perfect set and a ruined batch can be ninety seconds. Small batches mean we cannot hide a mediocre pan of marmalade inside a huge production run. Every jar has to stand on its own.

In a competition that attracts entries from some of the world’s most talented marmalade makers, including formidable competition from Japan and beyond, every award is hard earned and deeply valued. Five of them, from a kitchen at The Old Rectory in a Wiltshire hamlet, is something we do not take lightly.

For us, these awards are not simply certificates on a wall. They are proof that traditional craftsmanship, attention to detail and a passion for great marmalade continue to matter.

If you want the background to the bell, the tiger and the Rector, it is on our news and story page. The short version is that this hamlet has form for the unexpected.

Taste the marmalade the judges tasted

If you want to understand what the judging criteria mean in practice, the fastest way is to put two marmalades side by side and look at the peel, the colour and the set before you taste anything. Our marmalade range is made using the same open pan method that our award entries are made with, in the same kitchen, by the same hands.

Browse the marmalades, or find us at one of the farmers’ markets and food festivals we attend across the West Country and beyond. We are always happy to talk about set. Possibly for longer than you would like.

Start with a classic and a curveball side by side. Our Seville orange marmalade is the benchmark, our lime and ginger marmalade and pink grapefruit marmalade show what happens when you push the citrus somewhere new, and the clementine marmalade with a hint of Cointreau is the one people come back to the stall for.

Prefer to buy in person? You can find a Dauntsey stockist near you, or say hello through our contact page. We are in the jam kitchen every weekday morning.

Frequently asked questions

What are the World Marmalade Awards?

The World Marmalade Awards are an annual international marmalade competition held at Dalemain Mansion near Penrith in Cumbria. Founded in 2005, they attract thousands of entries from more than 40 countries and are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards in the marmalade world.

How are marmalades judged at the World Marmalade Awards?

Expert judges assess each marmalade on eight criteria: appearance, colour, texture, set, peel quality, flavour, aroma and overall balance. Awards are given as Gold, Silver, Bronze or a Commendation, so a medal is independent confirmation that a marmalade meets some of the highest standards in the industry.

How many entries do the World Marmalade Awards receive?

Recent years have seen more than 3,000 entries submitted from across the globe. Entrants range from artisan producers and specialist food businesses to passionate home cooks, which makes any award, at any level, genuinely difficult to win.

Why do Japanese producers do so well at the World Marmalade Awards?

Japan has become a marmalade making powerhouse. A sister festival was created in Yawatahama, and Japanese producers now regularly feature amongst the winners. Their expertise with citrus fruits such as yuzu and mikan has brought fresh ideas and intense competition to the international stage.

How many World Marmalade Awards has Dauntsey Preserves won?

Dauntsey Preserves has won five awards at the World Marmalade Awards. They reflect our dedication to traditional open pan methods, carefully selected ingredients and small batch production at The Old Rectory in Dauntsey, Wiltshire.

The last word

Awards are not the reason we make marmalade. But they are the reason we know our marmalade is good, rather than simply hoping it is. In a competition that includes some of the most talented makers on the planet, five awards is independent proof that traditional craftsmanship still holds its own.

The kettle is on. The pan is out. We will see you next year in Cumbria.