Marmalade with some Christmas spices for festive flavour! makes good presents

Part 1

Fruit: 4lb mix of oranges, grapefruit and lemons (buy what looks good and is cheap - I also use leftover lemon peel kept in freezer for this)

Spices (use whole spices as ground ones will discolour the liquid):

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 10 cardamom pods
• 3 star anise

1) squeeze the fruit and then quarter them - squeeze into a jelly bag over a jug to catch the pips and any pulp

2) add 7 pints of water, all the juice, the spices and the jelly bag with the pips (tie it to the pan handle so it dangles into the liquid)

3) simmer gently for about 45 minutes until the liquid is halved and fruit is soft (leave the back door open or you will steam kitchen up!)

4) leave to cool (I often do this stage the night before)

Part 2

You will need 6.5 lb granulated sugar

1) drain the fruit in a sieve over the pan and then slice thinly - most recipes say to remove the pith/white but I never bother (as this is a hassle but also means you waste some of the fruit, which seems a shame to me). You can leave the whole spices in or take them out.

2) when all the fruit is sliced and back in pan, add the sugar and heat - stir gently until all dissolved then turn up heat and simmer more vigorously until reaches setting point (be careful, as it can spit) - test setting point every 5 mins on a cold saucer, more frequently as it gets closer.

3) spoon into hot, sterile jars (scrubbed clean and placed in oven on gas 1 to dry) use a jam funnel if you have one. Place a paper disc over surface and lid - after a few minutes,, tighten these, wipe jar with damp cloth and add a label (they stick better if jam still hot).

This will make about 10 x 1 lb jars.