Paddington Bear
Michael Bond bought a lonely toy bear at Selfridges on Christmas Eve 1956. Paddington's love of marmalade was no coincidence. Michael Bond wanted a food that was unmistakably British, affordable, and a little old-fashioned. Marmalade sandwiches fit that description perfectly.
Marmalade and Paddington are now inextricably linked. Paddington's trademark is his emergency marmalade sandwich, which he keeps under his hat.
The first Paddington book has been translated into over 40 languages, but the "marmalade sandwich" remains one of the character's most distinctive features in almost every edition.
Queen Elizabeth II
She was known for her British reserve – the so-called "stiff upper lip" – but also had a subtle sense of humour. This was perhaps nowhere better exemplified than when Queen Elizabeth sat down for tea with Paddington Bear.
One of Queen Elizabeth's last – and certainly one of her most memorable – television appearances was a short film (watch it here), made for her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, she met another British icon, Paddington Bear, for tea at Windsor Castle.
Paddington drank all the tea straight from the spout – how rude! – but managed to make the Queen laugh when he started rocking on his chair and regained his balance by squashing a plate of pastries. He then shyly offered her his emergency marmalade sandwich, which he pulled from under his hat. Elizabeth, however, revealed that she herself already carried an emergency marmalade sandwich – instantly solving the mystery of what the Queen kept in her ever-present handbag.
Marmalade on top of the world
English explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott ('Scott of the Antarctic') took marmalade as part of his provisions
during his Terra Nova expedition to Antarctica from 1910 to 1913. Sir Edmund Hillary also
had marmalade with him when he climbed Mount Everest in 1953.
Marmalade was an important part of early polar journeys, valued for its high sugar content, long shelf life, and ability to mask the taste of monotonous rations.
Expedition diaries show that breakfast and lunch in the frozen wilderness often concluded with bread, butter, and marmalade to keep spirits high.
When Scott and his four companions tragically perished in March 1912 on their return journey from the South Pole, their last camp was buried under snow. Eight months later, a search party found their bodies,
diaries, and geological samples – along with Scott's personal tin of Frank Cooper's marmalade. The historic tin was eventually brought back to England and is now prominently displayed in the Museum of
Oxford.
The Spy Who Loved Marmalade
In the world of espionage, breakfast is James Bond's absolute favorite meal, and he emphatically insists on eating marmalade.
In From Russia With Love, 007's breakfast is introduced as a precise ritual, consisting of thick slices of wholemeal toast with Jersey butter, Frank Cooper’s Vintage Oxford Marmalade, Norwegian heather honey, and Wilkin & Sons strawberry jam. He drinks strong black coffee from a Chemex and eats a French Marans egg, cooked for exactly 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Everything is served on Minton porcelain.
The most expensive marmalade ever
The world’s most expensive marmalade is a specially made 1kg jar, produced by Manchester-based jam makers F. Duerr & Sons to mark the company’s 125th anniversary. The jar was valued at £5,000.
The marmalade contained Seville oranges from Seville, Spain, Dalmore 62 Whisky – £3,450 worth of this rare single malt, which retails at around £32,000 per bottle, was used – Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1996 Champagne and flakes of 24-carat edible gold leaf.
The special packaging accounted for £1,100 of the total value. The marmalade came in a hand-blown crystal decanter, crafted at the historic Dial Glassworks, with a specially designed silver lid and stand, manufactured by skilled silversmiths.
It was calculated that spreading a single slice of toast amounted to an estimated £76 per slice, or around £11 per mouthful. The marmalade was auctioned to raise money for charity.
Marmalade comes to the rescue
During the Second World War, marmalade was an important, calorie-rich staple in Red Cross parcels sent to Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and starving civilians, especially during the liberation of the Channel Islands. British parcels typically contained a standard tin of jam or syrup, while Canadian Red Cross parcels were known for a large 16-ounce (approximately 500 grams) tin of marmalade. This marmalade was highly sought after due to its essential vitamin C and high nutritional value.