So, reading in Megan Doherty's Private Capital column (The Canberra Times, April 12) about Dr Philip Spradbery, the wasp expert, and his Seville marmalade winning a Silver Award in the Gardener's Marmalade category from British-based The World's Original Marmalade Awards, whet my appetite for more.

This year 3000 jars of marmalade were entered in the 14th Marmalade Festival at Dalemain Mansion and Historic Gardens in Cumbria. The winning Best in Show recipe by Beth Furnell from Flintshire is now sold at Fortnum Mason. All entry fees go to hospice care charities.

There was a second Australian winner, Reuben Kooperman from Perth. He is consul-general for Thailand but his passion is preserves, especially marmalade, which he has been making for 35 years.

His Seville oranges are grown by his wife Deborah while the other citrus fruits used in his marmalades, come from the gardens of friends.

His first entry at the show was in 2010, which won silver in the 'Any Citrus' category. This year he won two golds in the'Seville Orange' and 'Man Made' categories and has generously shared one of his recipes. Reuben has also had success in the Australian Marmalade Awards which are hosted by the National Trust in South Australia.

They are affiliated with the UK awards from which Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the UK awards, comes to Australia to judge each year.

Philip Spradbery invited me to "call round one sunny morning and share some marmalade and garden gossip". His front garden has been a Floriade award winner but it is the north-facing terraced garden filled with fruit trees and vegetables at the back of the house which most appealed to me (and his laboratory).

When not "wasping", he is obviously a very keen and successful gardener whose seeds are sourced at Diggers and larger plants come from Yarralumla's Heritage Nursery.

The garage is lined with jars of nectarine, strawberry, rhubarb and other preserves all made from trees and plants in his garden. The new crop of Seville oranges dangle from the tree. Vegetable seedlings fill his outdoor oven.

Over a cup of tea we tasted the award-winning marmalade which is dark and almost caramelised and delicious. The recipe he uses is based on the epic dark chunky marmalade from Delia Smith's Winter Collection book (BBC, 1995) and he started making it in 2001.

We have a range of seed packets from Yates to be given away as collections to Kitchen Garden readers.

There are four types of edible peas, as well as sweet peas to be sown now, cornflowers to lure bees, calendula with edible golden petals, lamb's lettuce or corn salad (which is cold hardy and can be sown asap or kept until spring), and nutrient rich tatsoi or spoon mustard from which you can pick baby leaves in three weeks from sowing. There is also a box of Thrive Flower + Fruit soluble fertiliser.

To win, tell me what food or drink you crave and email with your name and address to: bodenparsons@bigpond.com

Ingredients

6 Seville oranges

3 tangelos

1 Granny Smith apple

juice of 1 lemon

water

caster sugar (as needed)

75ml Cointreau (optional)

Method

Carefully peel rind off the citrus and cut very finely to create a fine rind. Place the rind in a small saucepan with 300-400ml water, bring to the boil and simmer gently, covered, for 1.5-2 hours. Strain the rind and discard the liquid. Place the rind in a small bowl. leave to cool then refrigerate.

Meanwhile, cut the citrus and apple into small pieces. Put into a large saucepan and add 1.5 litres of water and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, uncovered for about 1.5 hours, until the fruit is very soft and the volume in the pan has reduced by about half. Strain this through a muslin cloth and leave to strain overnight.

The next day, measure the strained liquid. Put the liquid and the rind into a good quality stainless steel saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a low heat and slowly add 1 cup caster sugar for each cup of strained liquid. Add the sugar half to one cup at a time, stirring to make sure it dissolves before adding more. When the sugar has completely dissolved, bring to the boil and boil rapidly, without stirring, until setting point is reached. This should take about 30 minutes. Setting point is 105 degrees C (using a sugar thermometer).

Leave the marmalade to cool for 20-30 minutes then add the Cointreau. Leave to s for another ten minutes then bottle in hot sterilised jars. Label and date with cool.