Best marmalade taste test

How the marmalade taste test worked

We tasted all the marmalades raw, looking at peel thickness, peel amount and consistency, as well as the overall flavour. We then spread each one on buttered sourdough toast (writer’s own!) and tasted them again. Where possible we chose marmalades with thick-cut peel, as we feel this is the cut for a true marmalade aficionado. We’ve highlighted a few of the best for flavour, with one all-rounder that came out on top.

The results for the best marmalade taste test

Winner: Rosebud Preserves Seville Orange Marmalade Medium Cut, £3.95/227g
Score: 9/10

A beautiful soft set with a dark, intense colour. The rind is cut into thick squares, making it easy to spread and giving intense bursts of orangey bitterness that is absolutely perfect when eaten on toast. This was matched with a balanced, sweet-sour zestiness from the preserve itself and lip-smacking orange flavour.

Fortnum & Mason Burlington Breakfast Marmalade, £4.95/340g
Score: 8/10

As its name suggests, this may well be the perfect marmalade for those early mornings. A beautiful orange colour with a nice, thick set. Absolutely packed with thin-cut, tender peel that is matched with a bright and fresh jam that’s packed with orange flavour. Perfect for breakfast or baking.

Wilkin & Sons Ltd ‘Tawny’ Orange Thick Cut Marmalade, £2.30/454g
Score: 8/10

One for the marmalade connoisseur. Devilishly dark with a slight caramelised flavour and chunky but tender peel. Very bitter and grown-up flavour. It was probably the most intense marmalade we tried, so not one for the newbies.

Waitrose Duchy Organic Seville Orange Marmalade Thick Cut, £2/340g
Score: 7/10

A dark orange colour with plenty of thick strips of peel in a smooth orange jam. A really balanced marmalade, plenty of bitterness matched with a sweet, zesty flavour. A good all-rounder and would be perfect for baking.

Harvey Nichols Seville Orange Thin Cut Marmalade, £3.50/340g
Score: 7/10

The perfect entry-level marmalade. A thick set with a light orange colour and delicate, thin peel. It’s on the sweeter side, with less of the intense bitterness of some of the others but has a really rounded orange flavour. Perfect for kids or when you want to eat lots of marmalade toast without getting tastebud fatigue.

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