National Marmalade Week takes place in March and cooks have less than a month to peel, cook and pot their preserves for a prize and for charity.
The 9th World’s Original Marmalade Awards and Festival is sponsored by Mackays of Arbroath and aims to spread the marmalade message.
Everyone who enters a jar gets their preserve judged by experts and is sent a personal mark card with feedback on how it can be improved.
The best entries can win gold, silver or bronze awards and the double gold star winner’s recipe will be made in a commercial kitchen and sold at Fortnum & Mason, with 50 pence from each jar going to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Last year 1,900 jars were entered and Helen and Bob Pass, from Kinross, won the B&S/Hotel competition with their apricot and amaretto marmalade, now being sold at Ardross Farm shop in Fife.
Mackays think 2014 will be a golden year for marmalade, with the company exporting to Japan, Germany, Denmark, USA and the Czech Republic.
Managing director Martin Grant said: “We’re seeing a significant uplift in marmalade sales internationally.
“As we’re the last remaining producer of Dundee orange marmalade in the area, I think our heritage, coupled with the fact that we still make our preserves using traditional copper pans, is the key.”
The festival is at Dalemain Mansion, near Penrith in the Lake District. Closing date for entries is February 13 and details, including drop-off points, can be found at www.marmaladeawards.com.