The Disappearing Marmalade?

The changing fortunes of marmalade

As recently as January, figures showed that annual marmalade sales had dropped by 800,000 litres – or 2.5 million jars – in the space of just one year.

This accounted for a three per cent fall in marmalade consumption, while American alternatives such as peanut butter and chocolate spread enjoyed rises of 7.5 per cent and 8 per cent respectively during the same period.

It was enough to leave marmalade lovers across the nation sobbing over their toast as they contemplated a future devoid of delicious orange shred.

But from impending disaster came some crumbs of comfort as readers wrote in droves to The Daily Telegraph urging the like-minded to take the future of marmalade into their own hands.

The response was staggering. In kitchens across the country defenders of the preserve slaved over their stoves producing home-made versions of the British breakfast classic.

Waitrose confirmed that sales of Seville oranges were up 30 per cent as amateur cooks took the battle for the survival of marmalade into their own kitchens.

Just a month after the damning trade figures, The Marmalade Awards in Cumbria announced that more than 1,000 entries had been entered for this year's competition – a 25 per cent increase on 2010.

Now, with the future of marmalade looking golden once more, academics who conducted thorough research into the composition and consumption of marmalade have put a fresh twist on the age-old recipe, claiming that it is best served thinly spread on cold white toast.

The claim is bound to stimulate another great debate, but marmalade lovers will be relieved to find that this time its survival is not in question.