Craving that perfect breakfast spread? Then you know the quest for the best marmalade is a serious one! This week, we dive into the world of UK supermarket marmalades, tasting and rating them to find the ultimate jar of citrusy goodness. To guide us, we enlisted the expertise of Pam "the Jam" Corbin, a renowned author and former colleague from River Cottage. She emphasizes that a truly exceptional marmalade is all about harmony: peel, gel, texture, and flavor working in perfect unison.
Pam highlights the magical variability of marmalade-making. She explains that even if 100 people followed the same recipe, each batch would be unique, influenced by factors like sugar type, peel size, and boil time. This variation extends to store-bought marmalades, which often include extra ingredients like pectin, acidity regulators, and orange oil.
So, which marmalades made the cut? Let's find out:
Best Overall:
Tiptree 'Tawny' Orange Marmalade: This marmalade from Waitrose (£2.95 for 340g, or 87p/100g) earns a stellar ★★★★☆ rating. It boasts a classic dark marmalade profile with a rich, caramel-orange flavor and generous, thick-cut pieces of chewy peel. What sets it apart is its simplicity: a short ingredients list featuring just sugar and Seville oranges, with a high 47% fruit content. Incredible quality indeed!
Asda Extra Special Thick Cut Dark Seville Orange Marmalade: Also rated ★★★★☆, this marmalade from Asda (£1.86 for 370g, or 50p/100g) offers an inviting caramel-orange aroma and plenty of medium-cut rind. With a simple recipe and 30% fruit content, it's a fantastic value.
And the Rest...
M&S Fairtrade Dark Seville Orange Marmalade: Another ★★★★☆ contender, this Ocado offering (£2.25 for 340g, or 66p/100g) delivers a classic caramel and bitter orange flavor with a complex taste. It features extra-thick rind, 40% fruit, and Fairtrade-certified sugar.
Waitrose No 1 Vintage Marmalade: This marmalade from Waitrose (£3 for 320g, or 94p/100g) earns ★★★★☆ and is aromatic with molasses, caramel, and bitter-orange essential oils. It's deeply bitter and rich in flavor, with a mineral, iron-rich quality from the molasses. The recipe is simple, with sugar, oranges, molasses, and lemon comminute, and it contains 45% fruit.
St Dalfour Orange Fruit Spread: This product from Waitrose (£2.50 for 284g, or 88p/100g) and Ocado (£3.25 for 284g, or £1.14/100g) is labeled a "fruit spread" due to its lower sugar content. It has an intense, candied orange aroma, a bright orange color, and a soft-set jelly with medium-cut rind. Made with 51% oranges, plus grape and date juice concentrate, it earns ★★★★☆.
Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade: A nostalgic brand dating back to 1864, this marmalade from Tesco (£1.90 for 454g, or 42p/100g) and Asda (£2 for 454g, or 44p/100g) earns ★★★☆☆. It has a beautiful aroma and crystal-clear jelly enhanced with orange oils, with very fine shreds of peel and a low 20% fruit content.
Tesco Finest Coarse Cut Dark Seville Orange Marmalade: This Tesco offering (£1.80 for 340g, or 53p/100g) receives ★★★☆☆. It has a powerful floral orange aroma, a sweet and sour taste, and a medium-dark color with thick-cut rind. It's made with 30% fruit and contains caramel coloring.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Bitter Orange Marmalade: Also rated ★★★☆☆, this Sainsbury's marmalade (£1.80 for 340g, or 53p/100g) has an intense aroma, likely due to added orange oil. It has a classic, citric-forward flavor with bitter undertones and a firm-set jelly. It contains 30% fruit.
La Vieja Fabrica Seville Orange Fine Cut Marmalade: This Morrisons and Tesco offering (£2.15 for 365g, or 59p/100g) earns ★★★☆☆. It's a refined, aromatic, sour-forward marmalade with a soft set. Made in Seville with fine-cut oranges by a company founded in 1834, it has 40% fruit.
Frank Cooper's Fine Cut Oxford Marmalade: This Tesco and Sainsbury's marmalade (£3.20 for 454g, or 70p/100g) also earns ★★★☆☆. It offers a classic, well-balanced, sour-sweet-bitter complexity with an intense orange oil aroma. It has a smooth texture, a firm set, and incredibly fine-cut rind. Made with 30% fruit.
But here's where it gets controversial... Do you prefer a classic, bitter marmalade, or something with a sweeter profile? And this is the part most people miss... Which brand do you think offers the best value for money? Share your marmalade preferences and thoughts in the comments below – we'd love to hear from you!
