Traditional Winner (Frank Cooper's Fine Cut Oxford Marmalade)

Member Name: suehome

Product:	Frank Cooper's Fine Cut Oxford Marmalade
Date:	23/10/08 (316 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great taste and texture

Disadvantages: Disappears fast

When I think about marmalade I'm not sure if my first thought is a tangy, zesty topping for hot buttered toast, or a small scruffy bear clutching a mug of steaming cocoa in one hand and a large sticky sandwich in the other..........

History & Origins

I was curious as to why we call this jam like substance a marmalade, and have to admit that despite extensive research the answer is still not crystal clear. Typically a definition for marmalade would seem to be: "a jelly-like preserve in which small pieces of fruit and citrus fruit rind are suspended". Yet, the word marmalade seems to have been derived from the Portuguese word 'marmelo', originally meaning a quince jam! Quinces are a genus in their own right, and not a member of the citrus family, since they are more like a pear in shape, but pungent, hard, no fleshy pulp and astringent to the taste. Without this citrus connection it seems that the actual definition is a bit woolly and the variations of products you can buy labelled as marmalade include lime, lemon, orange, quince, thick cut, thin cut, peel free, with ginger, with whisky etc etc......

It also seems that the creation of the first marmalade could also have been accidental, created when Mr James Keiller presented his wife with a load of inedible seville oranges. She was clever enough to stew them up with sugar and the resulting marmalade was not only edible but highly sought after and became 'Dundee Marmalade'.

Around a similar time Sarah Jane Cooper, the wife of an Oxford grocer produced some thick cut marmalade for home consumption but overdid the ingredients. The extra open stone jars were sold in the shop, rapidly becoming popular with the Dons and undergraduates of the city. This first marmalade was very dark and chunky, so as a new factory opened in Oxford, another sweeter, lighter brand was developed for different palates. Today you can still see the original factory in Oxford, at 27 Park End Street, near the railway station, but it has become an art centre, with a bar and restaurant.

The Product

The Fine Cut Oxford Marmalade is sold today by Premier Foods in a glass jar with a plain simple label, swanky Royal Coat of Arms at the top and a classy looking gold vacuum sealed lid. It's a full pound jar but in the best European spirit is labelled as 454g. Interestingly the sugar content is the same between the chunkier darker' Original' blend and the 'Fine Cut', the differences then being in the fruit content.

=Nutritional Information=

Per typical 20 gram serving:
Calories: 54kCal
Protein 0.14g
Carbohydrate 13.2g
(of which sugars) 13.2g
Fibre 0.1g

Prepared with 30g fruit per 100g.

The jar reminds to to store in the fridge once opened and consume within 6 weeks. Some hope in our household that it would last that long. Just thinking about the 20g typical serving, that's a pretty loaded knife full to spread on your toast.

Savouring the Product=

Spread liberally on hot buttered toast, and smell the fragrant twang of fresh orangy zest. The texture is quite smooth, the rind pieces softened and juicy, yet not too thin so as to get stuck between your teeth. There is sweetness, yes, but also a sharp and zingy aftertaste, perfectly complimentary with a slightly salted butter. Not too gloopy or stiff, this marmalade spreads easily and is very moreish. No wonder it is still a favourite in British Embassies and on the shopping list for many ex-pats or foreign admirers.

You could expect to buy this for between 97p and £1.39 from the major supermarkets.

Mindful of the high sugar content in such a spread I recently experimented with an own brand reduced sugar marmalade. There was no comparison, in either taste or texture and only about a 20% saving in sugar intake. My advice, stick to the world famous and trusted brand, but perhaps spread less.........Enjoy.



Thanks for reading

Posted on Dooyoo and Ciao under the same author

Summary: The breakfast favourite for buttered toast