[O]rganisers of the 13th World’s Original Marmalade Festival at Dalemain, Cumbria, are to welcome delegates from Yawatahama, a city in Ehime, Japan, to the Awards reception on Friday 16th March to announce their plans for a sister Marmalade festival in 2019.
The Dalemain World’s Original Marmalade Festival has long been an international affair, with over 30 countries taking part every year. Japan has proven one of the most enthusiastic participants of the awards, with its citrus regions leading to an influx of wonderful new flavours including Yuzu, Kinkan and Sudachi. Following the successful launch of an Australian Marmalade Festival ‘down under’ and the visit of the Japanese Ambassador to the Awards in 2017, both countries have been enthusiastically working towards the launch of a similar sister festival in the citrus region of Japan.
The Mayor of Yawatahama will be attending the 2018 Artisan Awards reception on Friday 16th March to announce the Festival, which will take place in Japan in 2019. He will be accompanied by Mr Hirakanka, Counsellor for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan from the Embassy of Japan.
Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the World’s Original Marmalade Awards & Festival, says: ‘I am delighted to welcome the Mayor to my home, Dalemain Mansion, and am thrilled that he will be announcing the launch of a Marmalade Festival in Japan. We have long had a special relationship with Japanese marmalade makers, who totally understand the complexity and joy of marmalade, and I look forward to seeing the ways in which this festival will be both a showcase of Japanese-British friendship, and a wonderfully unique Japanese event.’
Jane Hasell-McCosh is no stranger to Japan, having starred in two feature length one and a half hour documentaries titled ‘Dalemain’s Magical Garden’ which aired on NHK in Japan in 2017. Hundreds of Japanese entries have made their way to the Dalemain Marmalade Awards and many Gold winners have visited the Awards & Festival in March each year, where they enjoy the beauty of the Mansion & grounds, the variety of marmalades on offer and the quirks of the festival, including ‘orange sheep’ especially painted on the estate for the occasion!
Organisers hope that this new festival will continue to establish ties of friendship as marmalade once again brings people together all over the world.
