From Grove to Jar: Tacle Mandarin Marmalade

Created in the height of citrus season, this marmalade captures the moment when flavour, sweetness, and colour are at their peak. It’s a celebration of fruit at its most expressive: perfect spread on warm toast, swirled through yoghurt, or spooned straight from the jar to brighten cold days.

grown for flavour

Carmelo’s Tacle Mandarins arrive ripe and fresh from his groves at the foot of Mount Etna in Sicily. Their brief season signals the transition from the bright, zesty green citrus of early winter to fruit that’s fully mature, deeply sweet, and richly coloured.

Tacle represent hybridisation done right. Developed for taste rather than yield, this modern Sicilian variety is a cross between a Tarocco Orange and a Clementine Monreal – combining Tarocco’s pigmentation with Clementine sweetness, and landing somewhere between the two in size and character.

Rarely seen outside Italy, Tacle has been largely abandoned by commercial growers for its low yields. The variety survives, however, thanks to Carmelo’s belief in its qualities.

Over years of careful experimentation, he’s identified the precise altitude, rootstock, and soil his trees need to thrive. His groves sit high above sea level, where Mount Etna’s unique microclimate delivers mild days and cold nights. This daily contrast slows ripening, intensifies colour, and allows sugars to build gradually in the flesh, bringing the fruit to full maturity.

Each tree is meticulously pruned and tended by hand to ensure the best possible fruit. Once harvested, the mandarins are sent to us within four days – unwaxed and with their leaves still attached – a reflection of how carefully they’re grown and handled.

one variety, one jar

Single Variety Co was founded on a simple principle: one variety per jar. No blends, no distractions, just the best-tasting fruit, preserved at the right moment.

Now in its tenth year, the business began when Nicola returned from a trip to Sri Lanka, completely besotted with a passion fruit jam she’d eaten for breakfast one morning. What started as home experiments and local market stalls has now grown steadily into a dedicated – and thriving – jam factory in Bristol, run by Nicola and her husband Ross.

Their approach mirrors our own. Just as we seek out fruit grown for flavour rather than yield, Single Variety Co builds each preserve around varieties chosen for taste above all else.

“This is exactly what excites us,” Nicola explains. “Taking fruit that’s in season, that tastes incredible, and preserving it so people can enjoy it in a different way.”

how it's made

The process is simple, just like making marmalade at home.

The mandarins arrive whole, are carefully washed and sliced, then gently softened in water to ensure the peel is tender rather than tough or chewy. Once the texture is right, sugar is added and the marmalade is boiled until set. Fresh lemon juice is added at the end – a more costly step that many producers avoid, but one that brings brightness, balance, and freshness to the finished preserve.

From there, it’s jarred, labelled, and sent out to homes, delis, restaurants and farm shops across the country. No shortcuts, no unnecessary additions – just fruit, sugar, and time.

A different kind of marmalade

This marmalade stands apart from the conventional kind. While Seville Oranges might be the traditional pick for marmalade-making, Tacle Mandarins are naturally sweeter, lower in pectin, and less bitter.

“The result is something closer to an orange jam: soft-set, vibrant, and intensely fruity,” says Nicola.

"It’s spoonable rather than sliceable – a marmalade that dollops rather than digs. The peel is tender, the flavour bright and fresh, and the colour a vivid winter orange."

How to use it

Naturally, it shines on toast, croissants, and pastries. It’s equally good swirled through yoghurt, spooned over porridge, or used in baking – Single Variety Co has even developed a sponge pudding recipe to showcase it.

Above all, it’s about preserving quality. “If it doesn’t taste amazing, we won’t sell it,” says Nicola. “Everything we make has to earn its place.”

This collaboration is rooted in that shared belief: seek out exceptional fruit, respect the variety, and let flavour lead the way – from grove to jar.