Ingredients

Step by step

1. Wash and scrub the oranges and lemons in hot water to remove any wax. Cut the fruit in half and squeeze the juice out into a large preserving pan. Using a spoon or your fingers, pull the membrane and all the pips from inside the oranges and lemons then pile these onto a large square of muslin. Bring up the corners and tie tightly with string to make a bag. Place the muslin bag in the preserving pan.
2. Cut all the orange and lemon peel into fine shreds and add to the pan with 2.8 litres of cold water. Place the raisins in another square of muslin, tie into a bag as before and add to the pan. Bring the mixture up to the boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove the bag of raisins, squeezing the juice back into the pan (wear clean rubber gloves to do this), then continue to boil the orange shreds for a further 11⁄2 hours or until the peel is really soft and tender and the pan contents have reduced by about half.
3. Meanwhile, untie the bag of raisins and tip them into a bowl. Add the rum and set aside to soak.
4. Remove the muslin bag of pips and pith and place it in a colander over a bowl. Press out all the liquid and, when cool enough, squeeze the bag well to get out all the essential pectin, which will make the marmalade set. Add all the pectin liquid back to the preserving pan along with the sugar. Stir over a low-medium heat until completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and bubble rapidly until setting point is reached – this may only take a couple of minutes. Take off the heat and stir the raisins and rum into the pan.
5. Remove any scum from the surface and allow the marmalade to cool and settle for 15 minutes; this ensures an even distribution of peel and raisins throughout the marmalade as it sets in the jar. Pour into warmed sterilised jars – a jam funnel is very useful here – then seal. Label when cool.
   Tip

   Sterilising and sealing:
   Wash jars and bottles with very hot soapy water, then rinse and place in a warm oven (160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3) for 10 minutes. Always fill jars to the brim, then cover either with sterilised twist lids, or with waxed discs and cellophane covers. Label when cold. Store in a cool dark place (or as directed in the recipe).