A POPULAR awards ceremony will be spreading some joy this year as thousands of marmalade jars pour in to Cumbria.

This year's Marmalade Festival competition received thousands of entries from all over the world.

The winners of the ‘homemade’ category will be announced at the festival on May 14 at Dalemain Mansion in Penrith, and the ‘best in show’ will be crowned.

After this, there will be a plethora of marmalade related celebrations, with tastings, stalls, lectures, and children’s activities.

People attending will also have the opportunity to play croquet on the lawn and ring the Borders Mini Bells.

The event will raise money for charity.

This year, funds will be raised for the Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland, and there will be many opportunities throughout the day for people to support the charity.

This charity is celebrating 25 years of operating this year.

READ MORE: Winners of marmalade competition announced at Dalemain Mansion

The festival is hosted in Dalemain Mansion, a grand manor where thousands of marmalades submitted for competitive consideration will be displayed in the state rooms, and what is deemed to be the best marmalades in the world will be available to taste for free, and to buy to take home.

As is traditional, the marmalade that is crowned ‘best in show’ will be produced and sold in their shop and in Fortnum & Masons, and a donation from every jar that is bought will go to a nominated charity of the winner’s choosing.

The opportunity to sample and buy the marmalades on offer is a rare one, and there will be a selection of gold and double gold marmalades from the artisan and B&B categories, as well as a last chance to buy the marmalade that won the ‘best in show’ category last year – the Seville orange marmalade with orange blossom from Flora Megan Rider, who will be presented with a charity cheque on Saturday.

Tickets can be bought by clicking here, or on the day at the mansion.

READ MORE: A world of marmalade for 2019 Great British Bake-Off winner, David Atherton