Marmalade

A correspondent recently gave us a present from Seville, to wit some marmalade, presumably made with genuine Seville oranges. Concerning which, I remember reading that in some parts of the town they are something of a nuisance, with lots of damaged and rotting oranges littering the streets at the wrong time of year.

Not quite the proper recipe, involving figs as well as oranges, cane sugar and pectin. But at least 40g of fruit to the 100g of jam.

But rather good, taken without butter on my own brown bread. Not the stuff which got cooked for rather a long time and was noticed at reference 2, as I had at first thought this morning, rather the stump of the previous batch. A little dry, but well matched to the marmalade. The relevant clue being the time stamp on the snap.

All kinds of other orange flavoured stuff to be had from reference 1. Including, according to my rudimentary Spanish, olive oil flavoured with just oranges, oranges and chocolate or oranges, lemon and Jamaican pepper. From all of which I associate to our landlady, back at Bury Lodge of Hambledon, many years ago now, who made her marmalade from Seville oranges grown in her own greenhouse. Also to something about orange blossom being the just the thing for wedding flowers. A something which reference 3, turned up by Bing, appears to corroborate.

I think we may have made marmalade ourselves, perhaps once or twice, but one does end up with rather a lot of it. But I never did try growing oranges on the allotment.

A bit later in the day, over West Hill, to catch a fine sky scape as the sun went down in the west. For which the hill is named.

PS 1: the earlier slip of Butler Lodge from Bury Lodge has been corrected. Butler is the name of the family; Bury is where they lived. The same two first letters, I suppose, going some way to accounting for the swap. We had the first floor flat, in the extension back right in the snap above. From where, I cycled to work, across the hills, to Titchfield.

Grade II listed building, No.1095548. Furnishings included an elaborate punch bowl set, presented by Charles II to mark the family's help in his escape after the battle of Worcester in.1651. I believe, one of a number of such sets.

The best Google can do is the bowl above, from Bonhams, commemorating the same escape - but the stand is Victorian and the bowl is not what I remember at all. But it was a long time ago.

PS 2: I have now consulted BH. Her memory of the bowl is a lot nearer the snap above than mine. On the other hand, I have remembered that at the time of the escape, the Butlers lived in a cottage below what is now Bury Lodge, a cottage which is now called 'King's Rest'. A cottage which ran to a fine display of spring flowers out front in our time up at the lodge. While down the road, I used to use 'The Vine', which still seems to be alive and well - and still selling beer. Some of the houses in the vicinity have gone very foodie.

References

Reference 1: https://orangetreesevilla.com/.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/02/painter-on-proust.html. On the substance of which, cogitations continue.

Reference 3: https://citrusindustry.net/2020/07/30/pieces-of-the-past-orange-blossoms-and-brides/.

Reference 4: https://media.onthemarket.com/properties/11302034/1380994444/document-0.pdf. 'A magnificent Grade II listed Regency country house, that has been fully restored externally and has internally been prepared for a personal internal design concept, set in an elevated parkland position of 50 acres'. Well...