RECORDS fell at this year's Dalemain Marmalade Festival, with the largest number of entries to date submitted for tasting.

More than 3,000 jars from over 30 countries worldwide made an appearance, cementing the fact that the competition has become a landmark international event.

The Best In Show for 2018 was Janice Miners from Cornwall, whose Grapefruit and Gin marmalade scooped the coveted prize.

Her homemade marmalade will be produced by Thursday Cottage and sold at Fortnum & Mason in their prestigious Piccadilly store, with 50p from each jar going to Hospice at Home Carlisle & the North West.

Janice said: "I feel very honoured to have won as there was an amazing array of marmalades on show, and some really different combinations.

"The prize of having my marmalade made and sold at Fortnum & Masons, what an honour, it’s something that I will never forget, and I would like to thank Dalemain and their sponsors for arranging such a prestigious event, and all the other competitors for entering and making the event so special."

Other competitors made the hourney to Dalemain from Japan, America, Malta, all over the UK and Australia.

The 2018 Awards were a celebration of quirkiness and individuality in marmalade making, with the new ‘Thursday Cottage Prize for Innovation’ awarded to the most inventive Homemade marmalade.

The winner was Veda Karlo, a marmalade maker from New York whose Seville Orange, Cranberry and Horseradish Marmalade defied all expectations to seize the prize.

As well as international entrants, the festival welcomed a number of high profile guests including the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan and the Deputy High Commissioner of India Ambassador Patnaik, who helped to judge the hotly contested Commonwealth competition with Richard Burge, head of the CWEIC and Claire Hensman, Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria.

Festival organisers also welcomed the Mayor of Yawatahama, Japan, who announced plans for the first ever Japanese Festival of Marmalade in Yawatahama in 2019, as a sister festival to the Dalemain Marmalade Awards.

Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the awards, said: "I think this is a very exciting time to be making preserves, as we are seeing how people’s love for marmalade and creativity have led to a true embracing of the versatility of the preserve, with all sorts of interesting flavours and ingredients being incorporated.

"The fact that the traditional flavours continue to flourish amongst their more inventive counterparts is proof of their quality, and I am equally delighted to see the traditional Seville continuing to do so well as I am to see such wonderful new flavours.

"The Marmalade community has continued to grow and I am so delighted to be involved in plans for a new Japanese festival, as well as to welcome so many people from all over the world to my home Dalemain this weekend."