This morning we awoke to a vast and beautiful frost. Everything was covered in a delicate layer of what looked like shimmering crystals as the sun rose higher. I was late up so the dogs were out and about a little later than usual and took off on the scent of deer.

It was an almost magical morning to be outside and as we made our way round our morning walk we saw a barn owl, buzzards, kestrel and numerous deer.

For about a year now, I’ve playfully dubbed Wednesdays as my favourite day of the week, for one reason and one reason only…it’s the day Country Life lands on the doormat. Maybe it’s a sign of the times that I’m getting old, but I genuinely look forward to what lies within its covers.

This week I was intrigued by the tag line ‘How to make your best ever marmalade’ on the front cover. Having already made 34 jars of Seville Orange marmalade this year, I thought I’d get some top tips for the remaining 4 kilos I have in store.

The feature pretty much summed up my love of this sticky, oozy orange gold and made me realise why I love it so much. Seriously, what’s better than some bitterly sweet marmalade on top of freshly toasted bread slathered with lashings of butter?

The top things I learnt about marmalade:

• It was James Bond’s  toast topping of choice (always choosing Cooper’s Vintage Oxford)
• Sir Edmund Hillary took a jar up Everest
• The World’s Original Marmalade Awards and Festival takes place in my old stomping ground of Cumbria every year (the deadline for entries is Feb 10 – I might send a jar in for the hell of it!)