Photo: Flora Rider with her winning marmalade. Photo by Hermione McCosh Photography.

21 June 2021 | Lori Little | County Press

AT JUST nine years old, Chillerton’s Flora Rider has been named the world’s best marmalade maker in a prestigious competition.

She triumphed over thousands of entries in the 2021 Homemade Marmalade Awards, receiving the Best-in-Show Award for her Seville Orange and Orange Blossom Marmalade.

She beat 3,000 entries from more than 30 countries around the world, including Canada, Australia, Japan, Kuwait and Brazil, all from her family home on the Isle of Wight.

A first time marmalade maker, Flora and her family, like so many in the UK, decided to get creative in the kitchen during the winter lockdown — with phenomenal results.

Her entry bowled over the judges and was unanimously declared the winner, not just of the children’s category, but of the whole competition.

Flora’s winning marmalade has been carefully replicated by artisan producers Thursday Cottage and will be sold at Dalemain Mansion and in Fortnum and Mason’s iconic Piccadilly store, as well as at fortnumandmason.com and its stores in the Royal Exchange, St Pancras, and in Hong Kong.

Additionally, 50p from the proceeds of each jar sold will go to Hospice at Home, the key beneficiary of the awards.

Flora said: “I really enjoyed making marmalade for the first time back in January. It was such a fun activity to do during lockdown.

“I enjoyed shredding the peel and filling the jars but best of all I enjoyed eating the finished marmalade!

“I liked the thought of adding flowers to my marmalade and so using orange blossom seemed like a good idea.

“The taste of the marmalade was very nice with a lovely floral and honey flavour. It made me feel happy and my marmalade looked like a little pot of sunshine.

“I’m so excited to have won the Marmalade Awards and help raise money for hospice charities.”

Flora’s mum Zoe Rhind said: “We are so proud of Flora’s incredible achievement and can’t wait to see her marmalade on the shelves at Fortnum and Mason. As a family, we love eating marmalade! A quintessentially English preserve which has seen its popularity decrease in recent years, so it’s great to be part of the drive to revive it.”

Other family members saw success at the awards, with Zoe winning a sweep of five gold awards, Flora’s dad Gareth Rider winning two silver awards and elder sister Polly winning a gold and a silver.

As well as amateur marmalade making, the awards are important to hundreds of artisan producers, whose small businesses have been hit by the pandemic.

All the Double Gold winners are also available to purchase at Dalemain and Fortnum and Mason.

Go to the awards page by clicking here