The Dalemain World Marmalade Awards & Festival

Dalemain is a mansion in the Lake District of England. From generation to generation, the estate has been inherited and preserved by the Hasell family since 1679. The mansion is surrounded by vast grasslands, foggy lakes, and rugged lumpy hills unique to the region.

The competition of marmalade making skills started in the mansion in 2005, which was kicked off by the master of the mansion wishing to regain attention to the traditional marmalade making in Britain. The competition received few entries initially, but now, after 13 years, more than 3,000 jars from all over the world enter the competition.

The current head of the family is the 12th generation. The person on the right is the host of the competition, Ms. Jane Hasell-McCosh. She works on facilitating cultural exchanges and creating business through marmalade, including making a marmalade product based on a recipe in an old document that remains in the mansion.

This is the judging panel held February. In a dimly-lit room, judges expose numerous jars of marmalade to the light to review. They participate as a volunteer; each and all are passionate about marmalade.

The competition receives various pieces of work from all over the world, not only from Britain but also from Spain, Australia, Japan, Canada, and other countries. Entries from Japan have especially increased these days, and the products using unique Japanese citruses such as yuzu and daidai fascinate the judges.

Gold winners are invited to the award ceremony held in March. Marmalade lovers around the world gather up and fill the Dalemain mansion with the color of orange. In 2018, Mayor Oshiro (left) and city staff visited from Yawatahama City, Ehime Prefecture, and gave a presentation on the competition in Japan to be held in 2019.

At the time of an award ceremony, events are held in various places around the town of Penrith, filling it with the joy of the festival.