WinterNational Bletchley Leisure Centre 27th January 2008

Blog Entry by Mr Jones the Curator: mrjones@marmaland.com

As if having to tolerate hundreds of marmalade pots coming through the house wasn't bad enough for the long suffering Mrs Jones. On Sunday I managed to convince her to attend the WinterNational Collectors Fair in Bletchley.

So with our three year old son in tow, we set off on our 91 mile trip. It would be fair to say that I was excited (and them less so).

On arrival at Bletchley we found the leisure centre, which was essentially a building site in the arse-end of Milton Keynes.

Having weaved our way through corridors following the smell of chlorine & small yellow signs, we eventually found ourselves in a mid sized hall full of approx 200 little stands packed with interesting items for sale.

The stands were selling 80% bottles and pots with some really rare & early varieties on offer. The bottles and pot stands were broken up by a few stands selling interesting enamel signs, postcards and books.

We arrived shortly after 11.00am, so while I don't know what was missed to the early birds and traders, there were still a fair few very good marmalade pots on offer.

The highlights for me were:
An early John Moir 2lb in fair condition, a couple of nice miniature Keillers, a large two tone Frank Cooper, a damaged Castell & Brown 2lb and a totally immaculate Dakin & Co 1lb Maling.

The Dakin & Co was the only one that I did not have an example of, so I made the purchase for a very fair price from a friendly trader and we headed back.

The question: Was it worth driving 91 miles for?
The answer: Yes

For listings of other bottle collector shows see the Antique Bottle Collector web site:
http://www.abc-ukmag.co.uk/showsspage.htm

Dalemain Historic House Marmlade Festival Snubs Marmalade Museum for Second Year Running.

Blog entry by Marmalord marmalord@marmaland.com



Yes, it is my sad duty to inform that the lady behind the PR for World’s Annual Marmalade Festival has (again) totally ignored interest from Mr Jones the Curator of Marmaland.

You would think that the organisers of Marmalade festival would be pleased to receive interest from the World’s only Museum of Marmalade, especially when we were expressing an interest in supporting the event and travelling over 300 miles to attend (dates 7-10 Feb).

But was owner of DaleMain House, Jane Hasell-McCosh pleased?
No.
For the second year running not only did she fail to identify the potential for us to help promote her event, she didn’t even acknowledge our correspondence.

Mr Jones said, “This event, in its second year will again be a less colourful and interesting occasion than it could have potentially been. Ms McCosh’s failure to embrace our organisation, or to even have the common decency to respond to us, shows what a rude and short-sighted PR strategy she has. In fact I suspect that PR in her case stands for Particularly Rude rather than Public Relations.
When you consider how welcome the Marmalord and his side-kick were made at the National Honey Show earlier in the year, this is all the more sickening.”

Jones refers to our visit earlier in the year to the National Honey Show, when the Honey loving and Bee Keeping communities gave us a terrific welcome. While it is after the event a full report and pictures will follow.

Meanwhile Ms McCosh will have to wait and see if I sabotage her event (they won’t see me coming).

Marmalade Festival – My arse.
Email your thoughts to McCosh on hasells@dalemain.com

Marmalade Blasphemy. Public Enemy No 1. David Atkinson Premier Foods.

Simply Shocking News:

From an extract in today's Times it is my sad duty to report that Mr David Atkinson, of Premier Foods – the manufacturer of Frank Cooper’s, Rose’s and Golden Shred – has announced an important change:

marmalade is to be renamed “orange jam”.

“We’re looking at ways of making marmalade more accessible,” Atkinson said. “The challenge is to entice a new generation.”

I can tell you now that here in Marmaland we will not accept this.

As if it wasn't bad enough that we have had to tolerate Paddington Bear raping our recent marmalade memories, but to now have the holding company of such important brands as Cooper's and Robertson's to turn his back on the heritage of marmalade is simply sickening.

I have been angry before, but this is different.........

Over the next week or two we will respond and start putting in place our strategy to deal with this as I know many others are already doing.

Atkinson, I am coming for you!

Marmalord

http://www.marmaland.com/ back to Marmaland (the world first Museum of Marmalade - Preserving Marmalades Journey Through Time)

Chicago Based Photographer 'Bristles' Marmalord.

'Chicagoland' based professional photographer and serial blogger Marianne Drenthe (A.K.A. Mare) has gone head to head with the Marmalord in cyber-space.

The war of words started in December last year when our fearless leader took Mare to task over her continued use of the word Marmaland on the blog section of her site.

Despite failing to approve/publish his drunken comments, on the 17th December Marianne who runs the web site http://www.marmaladephotography.com/ responded by saying...

"Some goof from the UK is harassing me a bit about use of Marmaland as a word. Apparently he is a curator for the Museum of Marmalade and dresses up in superhero costumes denouncing some weirdness with evil lemon curds. I so totally *know* I sound like I fell down the rabbit hole right now but I swear there is no recreational drug usage going on!"

To be fair, she did also link directly here to Marmaland and I know from emails that I recieved at least two people have found my site this way. On reflection, the way I see it she is simply helping build the brand.

Mare also agrees that there is no place for Marmite in the sandwiches of Paddington - so on balance the Marmalord has decided to let this one go for now.

With Michael Cain joining the Ad Agency behind the Marmite fiasco on the Marmaland hit list, and with the ongoing war against the Evil Lemon Curds - I think you will agree - we have bigger fish to fry.

You can see Marianne's full entry against December 17th on the blog section of her site, she seems pretty handy with a camera too - so if you happen to be in Illinois and need a photographer...................................