Condiments with love
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The World’s Original Marmalade Festival, based at mansion and historic gardens Dalemain, near Penrith, and promoted by Catapult PR, has acted as the catalyst for the world’s first romantic marmalade, hitting the shops in time for Valentine’s Day 2010.
Tiptree Pink Grapefruit Marmalade is the creation of an 11-year-old schoolgirl from Cumbria who came up with the idea of combining hearts and fruit to create the ultimate romantic food treat.
Katy Mason, who lives close to Dalemain, devised the idea when entering the children’s category of the world’s most prestigious marmalade event in 2007. To make her marmalade stand out from other entries, she added hand-cut, heart-shaped peel to her marmalade entry.
This required enormous patience, particularly when cutting out the tiny hearts from peel, but Katy’s efforts have paid off. The idea was taken up by Wilkin & Sons Limited, who make Tiptree preserves, and they have now transferred the idea to their production plant in Essex.
Hearts in the new Tiptree Pink Grapefruit Marmalade have also been lovingly hand cut, producing a beautiful looking marmalade with hearts suspended in the jelly. This just cries out to be spread on toast or bread and should give people across the country all the inspiration they need to make Valentines Day special for a loved one.
To build on this wonderful idea, Tiptree has sponsored a new category at the 2010 World’s Original Marmalade Festival – Romantic Marmalade. Tiptree is also supporting a romantic story competition, to elicit details of the most romantic places in which marmalade has been eaten by couples in love.
Katy cannot wait to get feedback from food lovers buying the Tiptree Pink Grapefruit Marmalade in Booths, Fortnum & Mason and independent stores.
She will be a guest of honour at the World’s Original Marmalade Festival, on February 14, at Dalemain, where the Tiptree marmalade will also be available.
The World’s Original Marmalade Festival organiser, Jane Hasell-McCosh says: “We are thrilled that Katy’s idea has been taken up by Tiptree and that our Festival has acted as the inspiration for a completely new food treat. Our aim is to spread the love of marmalade across the globe and the Tiptree Pink Grapefruit Marmalade will certainly help that ambition.”
The World’s Original Marmalade Festival has 11 categories, ten of which are for amateur cooks and one which is for artisan food makers. Any double gold winner of the artisan category will be able to have their marmalade sold in Fortnum & Mason, Piccadilly, London.
All details of how to enter the Festival and the romantic story competition are available at www.marmaladefestival.com The closing date for artisan producers, is February 1 whilst home cooks have until February 7 to get their entry in and potentially emerge a winner.
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