Marmalade-maker wins international competition

Stephen Snead started making marmalade just seven years ago and is now an international award winner

A man from Worcestershire has won an international competition for his homemade marmalades.

Despite starting to make the condiment only seven years ago Stephen Snead, from Tenbury Wells, won two awards in the Dalemain World Marmalade Awards, judged by Fortnum & Mason.

Despite going up against thousands of other competitors, his Seville orange and lime marmalade with red chilli, and his lime and crème de cacao creation were both so good they were announced as joint winners.

Mr Snead, a self-confessed amateur marmalade-maker, said: "It is a great competition as it brings people together across the globe."

He first tried his hand at homemade jam from the fruit in his garden.

But after seeing a new recipe for marmalade he decided to give it a go.

"I got hooked, and I have been making it every year since," he said.

Discussing his award winning marmalades, Mr Snead said they required a lot of thought and practice.

"Marmalade is something you can be really creative about, so just thinking about which different flavours combine well," he said

His tips for future marmalade champions include creating a "good set" so it is not too runny and a "wobble" to it.

The peel must also be "really nicely cooked" to avoid chewy peel or peel that is too hard.