As a child winter weekends were a special time.  In the lounge a fire was always stoked, making the place cosy warm and keeping the chill southerly winds at bay.  In the kitchen someone was always doing something and my two strongest memories were the morning of the cat show and having to de-knot our Persian cat Muffy who won a huge number of ribbons and medals and of dad making marmalade with fruit from his own trees.  His recipe which he has been perfecting for about 30 years uses a blender and i remember this great bowl of roughly chopped citrus fruit and fighting with my brother and sister for the rights to push the fruit into the little hole and watch it get pulverised good and proper.

 This recipe is a little more sedate and while it takes a while it yeilds a very jammy marmalade.  It is also perfect for those who want only a few jars and want to wedge the process in a busy schedule without two much commitment or disruption.

Ingredients

1 large grapefruit - I use the Californian Red when I can find them
2 large oranges
2 lemons
1 lime
2 cups water
5 cups sugar

Method

Thinly peel the grapefruit and oranges, then stack the peel and finely slice across so that the peel is 1mm wide and about 1cm long.  Reserve.

With a sharp paring knife, remove the pith from the grapefruit and oranges, quartering and slicing across so that the wedges are a couple of mm thick.

Top and tail the lemons and lime, quarter, and slice as tinly as possible across the quarters.

Mix all the citrus in a large saucepan with the water and bring to a good hard boil for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool and sit for 12 hours.

Return the citrus to the boil and add the sugar.  Boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour until setting point is achieved, about 105°C and jar in steralised bottles.