Orange Blonde - Jam

Orange Blonde Orange Marmalade made from Blond Oranges

Alain Milliat’s Orange Blonde Marmalade is a French orange marmalade made from golden-yellow blond oranges with fine zest. Intensely fruity, balanced between sweetness and bitterness, and not too sweet. The kind of marmalade that belongs on the breakfast table.

Orange marmalade made from a premium variety is a rare pleasure: Alain Milliat’s Orange Blonde is crafted from golden-yellow blond oranges with fine orange zest. In its 300g jar, it tastes of ripe orange with a beautiful balance of sweetness and delicate bitterness, rather than just sugar.

Golden-yellow, fruity, delicately tart

The moment you open the jar, it smells of juicy, ripe oranges.

The marmalade glows a golden yellow and is threaded with fine zest, giving it a light, elegant bite. On the palate, the blond orange reveals its greatest strength: a wonderful balance between sweetness and the characteristic, delicate bitterness of the peel. Fruity, fresh, and delicately tart, it sits perfectly on bread.

Only citrus preserves are allowed to be called "marmalade" – everything else is jam – and so the Orange Blonde bears its name rightfully. The sugar takes a back seat, allowing the orange to take the lead with its full character. This is what fruit tastes like when harvested ripe and processed gently.

A good orange marmalade thrives on this interplay of sweetness and bitterness, and this is exactly where the blond orange plays its strength. For over 25 years, Alain has been putting such exquisite fruits into jars—fruits that would otherwise hardly find their way into marmalade. You can taste it in the bright, clear orange aroma.

On toasted white bread and with scones

This orange marmalade belongs on crispy toasted white bread with good butter.

It pairs just as well with a croissant as it does with warm toast, making breakfast feel a little more English. Dark chocolate and chocolate cake also welcome it, as orange and cocoa go hand in hand. If you like fruity flavors, pair it with the Apricot Jam.

A spoonful of orange as a glaze on a duck or ham adds a delicate, fruity note to the roast. You can find more for your set breakfast right next door.

It also cuts a fine figure at afternoon tea, served on a warm scone or in a sponge cake to which it adds a delicate citrus note. Orange Blonde brings a piece of English teatime and southern sun to the table all at once—a bright, fruity start to every morning that spreads good cheer on your bread.

The blond orange from the south

The Orange Blonde is a golden-yellow orange variety that grows primarily in Sicily and Calabria; it is wonderfully aromatic and has very few seeds.

Normally, this orange is eaten fresh and, due to its price, rarely ends up in marmalade production—but as Alain always emphasizes, taste is what decides. Alain Milliat, himself a fruit farmer from Orliénas near Lyon, took over the family farm in 1983 and, starting in 1997, brought fruit to the level of quality he knew from wine.

The fruits come from various regions in France and Italy, and the marmalade is cooked in the Rhône department near Lyon. What has been true for his juices since 1997 applies here in the jar as well. The full story is told in the portrait of Alain Milliat; you can find more varieties among the jams. Bravo.