--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Off the hob, the orange jam is left to…" description: "\"“Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few minutes, then stirred and ladled into glass jars. Four pots of glistening amber, the curls of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg" --- # Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few… ![“Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few minutes, then stirred and ladled into glass jars. Four pots of glistening amber, the curls of peel suspended like jewels in the deep-orange jelly. The kitchen is still cold, and with the scent of oranges and syrup in the air I feel the urge…” quote by Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg) > ““Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few minutes, then stirred and ladled into glass jars. Four pots of glistening amber, the curls of peel suspended like jewels in the deep-orange jelly. The kitchen is still cold, and with the scent of oranges and syrup in the air I feel the urge to make a rack of toast. Marmalade is always a pot of joy. Button-bright, glistening and quivering on a spoon, it has none of the cloying sweetness of honey, a clarion call to the start of the day. Whisper it: this thick orange jam does not feel quite right at any other time of day. It glows like a candle on the greyest January morning, cheering us out of the door to work. No preserve causes such controversy, thick-cut or hair-thin, dark or pale, softly set or firm. Mine will be barely set, light in color and as much golden jelly as peel. Any morning now, the garden white with frost, I will pick up one of the jars I have filled today, twist off the glossy black lid and inhale. I will dip in my spoon, spread the lumpy jam onto a piece of hot toast, wipe a bittersweet tear of syrup from the crust and start my day.”” [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid description of making and savoring marmalade, linking sensory detail to daily ritual and joy. **In simple terms:** Describes the pleasure of making and eating marmalade. Key Takeaway Enjoy simple, sensory rituals. Themes food ritual joy comfort sensory creativity Mood warm nostalgic inspirational Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - breakfast routine - gift‑giving - seasonal cooking - comfort food Key Concepts culinary arts mindfulness nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How does the ritual of cooking affect your mood? - What simple food brings you comfort? A Different Perspective Over‑idealizing can ignore practical effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Marmalade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marmalade/) [Start Of The Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-of-the-day/) [Time of day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-of-day/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not the best at getting myself breakfast, but if I do, I'll normally have toast and marmalade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-anderson/i-m-not-the-best-at-getting-myself-breakfast-but-if-i-do-i-ll/) [Jonathan Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-anderson/) > [On Saturday, I don't want to be woken up until at least nine: I like a bit of a lie-in, a cup of tea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-paphitis/on-saturday-i-don-t-want-to-be-woken-up-until-at-least-nine-i-like-a/) [Theo Paphitis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-paphitis/) > [“I was once in a play called "Breakfast in Bed." Did you have a big role? No just toast and marmalade! \*\*\*”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/i-was-once-in-a-play-called-breakfast-in-bed-did-you-have-a-big-role/) Various > [I have a lot of energy after 2 A.M. I like to sleep in the morning. 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Have a beautiful start of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chee-vai-tang/accept-where-you-are-remember-where-you-ve-been-but-most-importantly/) [Chee Vai Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chee-vai-tang/) > [If you're interested in something, do some more research and don't be afraid to ask questions. At the very worst you're going to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-ryan/if-you-re-interested-in-something-do-some-more-research-and-don-t-be/) [Jenny Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-ryan/) > [Life is too short to live that way. Learn to travel light. Every morning when you first get up, forgive the people that did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/life-is-too-short-to-live-that-way-learn-to-travel-light-every/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“Remember that wasted minute at the start of the day? Hard luck but you'll never find it again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-w-gibson/remember-that-wasted-minute-at-the-start-of-the-day-hard-luck-but-you/) Cleveland W. Gibson > [Sometimes I'll do five minutes of skipping at the start of the day - one minute on and one minute off, and it's great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/sometimes-i-ll-do-five-minutes-of-skipping-at-the-start-of-the-day/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The start of the day is often the best time to get things done. This is somewhat related to willpower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-start-of-the-day-is-often-the-best-time-to-get-things-done-this/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [“It was the best start of the day. A day started with a rejection. Maybe, by the end of the day, I would spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishikant/it-was-the-best-start-of-the-day-a-day-started-with-a-rejection-maybe/) [Nishikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishikant/) > [I homeschool, so the start of the day is reading Bible scripture, memorization, and prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-benson/i-homeschool-so-the-start-of-the-day-is-reading-bible-scripture/) [Jodi Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-benson/) ## More by Nigel Slater > [“Believe me when I tell you that there is no lie quite so obvious as the one where you try to protest that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/believe-me-when-i-tell-you-that-there-is-no-lie-quite-so-obvious-as/) [nigel slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [I cannot go any further without mentioning my favourite biscuit of all time, now sadly, tragically, extinct. The oaty, crumbly, demerara notes of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/i-cannot-go-any-further-without-mentioning-my-favourite-biscuit-of/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“I understood that if ever one wanted to live with someone you cooked for them and they came running. But then it is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/i-understood-that-if-ever-one-wanted-to-live-with-someone-you-cooked/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [Almost anything is edible with a dab of French mustard on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/almost-anything-is-edible-with-a-dab-of-french-mustard-on-it/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“Garlic as fresh and sweet as a baby's breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/garlic-as-fresh-and-sweet-as-a-baby-s-breath/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [It is the deep, salty stickiness of food that intrigues me more than any other quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/it-is-the-deep-salty-stickiness-of-food-that-intrigues-me-more-than/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you…Once the warm, salty butter has hit your tongue, you are smitten. Putty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/it-is-impossible-not-to-love-someone-who-makes-toast-for-you-once-the/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“A small meadow of dill and lemon thyme, tarragon and lemon verbena, set amidst Attar of Roses and Prince of Orange pelargoniums. I create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/a-small-meadow-of-dill-and-lemon-thyme-tarragon-and-lemon-verbena-set/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“Night bathing feels different to that done in the early morning. More meditative, a time to reflect rather than refresh. Enveloped in warm, still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/night-bathing-feels-different-to-that-done-in-the-early-morning-more/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [Food is, for me, for everybody, a very sexual thing and I think I realised that quite early on. I still cannot exaggerate how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/food-is-for-me-for-everybody-a-very-sexual-thing-and-i-think-i/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [“Vivid greens and bright crimsons fill my fridge; the larder has jars and bottles with every shade of pink and violet, orange and magenta.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/vivid-greens-and-bright-crimsons-fill-my-fridge-the-larder-has-jars/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [Good kitchens are not about size; they are about ergonomics and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/good-kitchens-are-not-about-size-they-are-about-ergonomics-and-light/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [It must have been the lack of nutrients that gave my father his temper. He is not a sweet man despite a very sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/it-must-have-been-the-lack-of-nutrients-that-gave-my-father-his/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [Real food meas big-flavoured, unpretentious cooking. Good ingredients made into something worth eating. Just nice, uncomplicated food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/real-food-meas-big-flavoured-unpretentious-cooking-good-ingredients/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) > [ “This \[waxed paper\] is the paper that is perfect for keeping air-dried hams fresh. You could use cling film but it often causes the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/this-waxed-paper-is-the-paper-that-is-perfect-for-keeping-air-dried/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) [Explore all 27 Nigel Slater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) ## More Golden quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) Walsham How > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [Most people put money in their piggy bank. I buy a goose that lays golden eggs over and over again. That's what an asset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/most-people-put-money-in-their-piggy-bank-i-buy-a-goose-that-lays/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk and on your head a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-featherbed-is-deep-and-soft-and-there-i-ll-lay-you-down-i-ll-dress/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [We're in a golden age for television. TV 25 years ago was slow, plodding , boring. The production values were not great. Today it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/we-re-in-a-golden-age-for-television-tv-25-years-ago-was-slow/) [Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/) > [You are quite, quite wrong if you think that ... I find your happiness painful. What matters is that happiness - the golden day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/you-are-quite-quite-wrong-if-you-think-that-i-find-your-happiness/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [We dance, we dance. You hold the thread of my soul. You spin, you spin. And you unravel the part from the whole. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/we-dance-we-dance-you-hold-the-thread-of-my-soul-you-spin-you-spin/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let everyone regulate his conduct... by the golden rule of doing to others as in similar circumstances we would have them do to us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/let-everyone-regulate-his-conduct-by-the-golden-rule-of-doing-to/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/) [Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/) > [By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agesilaus-ii/by-sowing-frugality-we-reap-liberty-a-golden-harvest/) [Agesilaus II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agesilaus-ii/) Browse all 2,034 Golden quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few minutes, then stirred and ladled into glass jars. Four pots of glistening amber, the curls of peel suspended like jewels in the deep-orange jelly. The kitchen is still cold, and with the scent of oranges and syrup in the air I feel the urge to make a rack of toast. Marmalade is always a pot of joy. Button-bright, glistening and quivering on a spoon, it has none of the cloying sweetness of honey, a clarion call to the start of the day. Whisper it: this thick orange jam does not feel quite right at any other time of day. It glows like a candle on the greyest January morning, cheering us out of the door to work. No preserve causes such controversy, thick-cut or hair-thin, dark or pale, softly set or firm. Mine will be barely set, light in color and as much golden jelly as peel. Any morning now, the garden white with frost, I will pick up one of the jars I have filled today, twist off the glossy black lid and inhale. I will dip in my spoon, spread the lumpy jam onto a piece of hot toast, wipe a bittersweet tear of syrup from the crust and start my day.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nigel Slater" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-settle-for-a-few-minutes-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Golden" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-settle-for-a-few-minutes-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/nigel-slater-22788_golden_off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-se_848831.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Off the hob, the orange jam is left to settle for a few minutes, then stirred and ladled into glass jars…” — Nigel Slater", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nigel Slater", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Off the hob, the orange jam...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-settle-for-a-few-minutes-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/off-the-hob-the-orange-jam-is-left-to-settle-for-a-few-minutes-then/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```