Perfect marmalade

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Step 1
Put a sieve over a preserving pan or other very large, non-aluminium saucepan – it's important to leave enough room in the pan to allow the marmalade to bubble without boiling over.

Step 2
Cut the oranges and lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the pan, using the sieve to catch any pips and pith.

Step 3
Put your piece of muslin into a bowl and spoon the pips and pith into it.

Step 4
Cut the peel of the oranges to the desired thickness, tearing off any large pieces of remaining flesh and adding them to the muslin as you go.

Step 5
Put the shredded peel into the pan (any remaining flesh will dissolve during cooking) and tie the muslin bag up tightly and add that too.

Step 6
Pour over 2.5l of water, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 2 hours.

Step 7
The peel should be soft.

Step 8
Remove the muslin bag and allow to cool in a bowl.

Step 9
Wash your jars in warm soapy water and allow to dry in a cool oven before you embark on the next step.

Step 10
Bring the marmalade back to a simmer, and squeeze the muslin bag hard into it – a good quantity of gloopy juice should come out.

Step 11
Stir this in and then add the sugars and stir well until dissolved.

Step 12
Put a few saucers into the freezer.

Step 13
Turn the heat up and boil rapidly until the marmalade reaches setting point – a sugar thermometer will be helpful here (start checking when it reaches 104C) but to confirm this, put a teaspoonful of the marmalade on to a cold saucer and put in the fridge for a minute or so.

Step 14
If it crinkles when you run a finger through it, and your finger leaves a clear line in the preserve, it's ready.

Step 15
If not, check it every five minutes or so.

Step 16
Allow to sit for 15 minutes then spoon into clean jars and seal immediately.