The world’s best marmalade is produced here in the north-east.
And an Aberdeenshire food producer has won a global award for the third year running for the quality of its orange preservative.
Kincardine Castle Kitchen made it a hat-trick with its Seville Orange marmalade, securing the gold award in the artisan category of the Dalemain World Original Marmalade Awards in Penrith, Cumbria.
The awards are considered the world’s most prestigious marmalade awards, with entries from across the world.
Made in the traditional open pan style, the award-winning recipe was prepared by chefs Louisa Bradford and Rupert Holden at their base in Kincardine Castle on Royal Deeside.
The husband-and-wife team triumphed after thousands of marmalades faced the scrutiny of the expert judges’ taste test.
Mrs Bradford said: “To win the gold medal three years in a row is just amazing, because a lot of work goes into making it.
“The whole process is done in a very traditional way in small batches.
“We chop all the fruit and squeeze all the juice by hand – it’s a lot of oranges!
“We are absolutely thrilled with the result and our customers seem to be happy too.”
The awards were founded in 2005 with the aim of preserving, growing and widening the traditional British custom of making marmalade.
They have gone on to generate a global following and have inspired people from all over the world to get involved in making marmalade.
Kincardine Castle Kitchen produces preserves, biscuits and snacks which it sells through local retailers and farmers markets in Aberdeenshire.