Pink grapefruit and bay marmalade

1. Squeeze the citrus fruits and pour all the juice into a jug or bowl, reserving 5 of the grapefruit shells plus any pips, flesh or membranes that collect in the juicer. Cover and chill the juice until needed. Halve the reserved grapefruit shells again and use a teaspoon (or your fingers) to scrape the pith and membranes from each one. Put the pith and membranes into a large square of clean muslin along with all the other reserved pips, flesh and membranes. Using kitchen string, tie the muslin up tightly into a neat little bag.

2. Cut the grapefruit shells into strips 2-3mm wide and tip into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Add the muslin bag, pour over 1.75 litres cold water, cover and set aside to soak for at least 12 hours or overnight. The next day, remove the muslin bag and pour everything into a preserving pan (or large saucepan), along with the citrus juices and bay leaves. Using the kitchen string, tie the muslin bag to a handle on the pan and drop it into the mixture, ensuring it does not touch the bottom. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat, half-cover the pan and simmer gently until the peel is really tender – 1-2 hours, depending on how thickly you have cut the peel. The peel should be soft enough to press in half between your fingers. Do not rush this step – once the sugar is added the peel won’t soften any further.

3. Meanwhile, sterilise the jars (see tip below). Put 2 saucers in the fridge or freezer. Remove the muslin bag from the pan; set aside for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Put on a clean pair of rubber gloves and squeeze the bag over the pan to extract as much of the juice as possible. Discard the bag and its contents.

4. Add the sugar to the pan, stir gently until dissolved and bring to the boil. Cook at a steady rolling boil (no need to stir) for about 30 minutes, until setting point has been reached (start testing for a set after 15 minutes), removing any scum that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon. To test for a set, drop ½ tsp marmalade onto a cold saucer, leave for 30 seconds, then push it with the tip of your finger. If the marmalade wrinkles it is ready – if it doesn’t, continue to cook, testing every 2-3 minutes.

5. Once the marmalade has reached setting point, remove the pan from the heat, scoop off any scum from the surface with a slotted spoon and leave the marmalade to cool for about 10 minutes. Ladle it into a jug, then pour into the sterilised jars. Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe the edges of the jars and remove any drips, then tightly seal with the lids. Leave until completely cold before labelling and storing in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 6 months.

HOW TO STERILISE JARS

Heat the oven to 160˚C, gas mark 3. Wash the jars and their lids in hot, soapy water, rinse and drain. Put the jars on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 15 minutes to sterilise. You want them to be warm when filling, so don’t do this too far ahead. If your jars or lids have rubber seals, remove these and simmer them in a pan of water for 10 minutes instead (the dry heat of an oven will crack rubber seals). Turn off the heat, cover and leave until ready to use.