Here’s how to make the orange marmalade from “Paddington” at home
Welcome to the first cooking Friday of July! Up to this point in the series, we have only made dishes from Disney movies here at Cape & Castle. However, in honor of our site’s recent expansion, we are exploring a new neighborhood for the first time—Windsor Gardens! This week, we are stepping off onto the platform at Paddington Station and whipping up a jar of orange marmalade!
Image: Heyday Films
Paddington (2014) is one of those movies that is so ‘marmaladen’ with magic and enchantment that you might forget Disney didn’t make it. A blueprint for wholesome storytelling, the film paints Paddington as a bear stuffed with far more than just polyester toy fluff.
Paddington might be a pure ray of sunshine, but he is no stranger to pain. Orphaned as a cub, Paddington was raised by his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo in the deep jungles of Darkest Peru. At the beginning of the film, an earthquake ravages Paddington’s home, physically and emotionally, as a falling tree takes the life of Uncle Pastuzo.
Image: Heyday Films
Beware Potterheads: this scene might be too painfully reminiscent for you to watch. Michael Gambon voices Uncle Pastuzo, so if Dumbledore’s death destroyed one of your soul’s Horcruxes, get ready to lose another.
Fortunately, Paddington finds a home in the Brown’s after Aunt Lucy goes to The Home For Retired Bears and sends him off to London. A beautiful portrayal of the found family trope, Paddington brings joy into the lives of the Brown’s—and an entire prison in the sequel—by encouraging others to be accepting of those who are different, livening their imaginations and by making lots and lots of orange marmalade.
He is a walking testament that those who continue to love radiantly in the face of loss, disappointment and despair are the bravest and most heroic of us all.
Image: Heyday Films
Now, every time I see someone with a hat on, I imagine that they are storing a marmalade sandwich under it in case of an emergency. Paddington was putting headwear to proper use.
To make the marmalade, we used a recipe from masalaherb.com! You can find it here! If you are not familiar with the term marmalade, you may mistake it as being synonymous with jam or jelly. However, marmalade, jam and jelly all require separate culinary approaches, as the inclusion of fruit skin in marmalade makes it the most textured of the bunch.
Requiring only two ingredients making marmalade is a low-stress endeavor where the stove does most of the work for you. And while orange marmalade is used primarily as a sweet spread on toast, the preserve is a delicacy in a wide range of dishes from pork chops to vinaigrettes and doughnuts!
With so many possibilities, it is no wonder the power of orange marmalade helped defeat Paddington‘s big bad, Millicent Clyde. Not many movies can say they successfully utilized orange marmalade as a symbol of joy and hope. Sorry Gatsby, but your green light is old news.
Also, may we never forget this wholesome interaction between Florence Pugh and Paddington’s Twitter accounts about marmalade.
What other dishes would you like to see us make? Let us know on Twitter and make sure to share with us what cinematic dishes you are making @capeandcastle! Be sure to also check out our site for more articles on all things Disney and beyond!
