Dalemain Marmalade Festival at Dalemain House between Penrith and Ullswater drew big crowds this year and raised a lot of money for the local Hospice. Chris Evans on Radio 2 certainly helped. And, unusually, it didn't rain.
I had to present our prize to the winner - Christine Waters from Taunton - of the 'Merry Marmalade' category for the whisky-laced pots. I didn't, sadly, get to taste these but was on the panel judging the 'Marmal..Ashes': a special competition between Australian and English.
We avoided an early England collapse thanks to Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Tawny job, but most of the rest of the team then threw the match with their obsession for putting weird stuff in with their oranges; elderflower, ginger, 5 spice, treacle, chocolate!!!
The Aussies on the other seemed very clear that Marmalade is made of Citrus fruit and sugar for spreading on your morning toast. Like their wines, Aussie jams are very fruit-driven, they also all set properly and were well turned out in national colours. Man of the match was an incredibly deliciously intense pure Lime job … got a perfect score.
It was a whitewash.
The nausea was then helped when a chap came up and offered a bottle of his new Lake District gin … that sedated the stomach nicely.
There were lots of stalls selling local farm foods. John Kemp and Martin Campion pouring some of our wines, the village children singing the marmalade song and it was just Britain at its batty best. B and I loved it all and hope to be invited back. Well done Jane … and thanks.
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