Film
An Afternoon of Orange Peel
Four oranges, a pot of syrup, and a rack by the stove. Candying peel for the winter jar.
A slow film about a slow job. We peel, blanch and simmer four oranges' worth of peel, then leave it to dry overnight on the rack above the stove — and use the leftover syrup for a warm spiced cup the same evening.
The full recipe, with quantities and timings, is written out on its own page.
Notes from filming
The light in the kitchen goes golden around four o'clock in late September, which is why so much of this was filmed in one long afternoon. The peel in the final shot is from the second batch — the first went a little too far and turned to toffee. That batch is in the notes too, because mistakes are part of the record.
Read the transcript
Every year, before the baking starts, I make candied peel. It takes an afternoon, but mostly the pot does the work.
First the peel comes off in quarters. I keep the white pith — people cut it away, but it turns soft and glassy in the syrup, and that is the best part.
Three times into boiling water, and drained, to take the edge off the bitterness. Then into the syrup, at the barest simmer, for an hour or more…