Ever since I fell down a hole in the road in the middle of the Herefordshire countryside one moonless night, I have always taken a healthy interest in what’s beneath my feet.

Cutting through the woods to Dolbadarn Castle the other day during a (miniscule) break in the torrential storms, I notice a white piece of pottery on the path. It had writing on it. I picked it up for closer inspection later.

It’s revealed a fascinating story that involves a Dundee grocer, a Seville ship full of oranges, and Victorian mountain climbers.

It could have been an anonymous piece of pottery with no story to tell, but actually there was just enough writing visible to offer an enticing glimpse into the culinary history of Llanberis.

So… here’s what I know.

It’s part of a pot of marmalade dating back to around 1890. I found it on the back path to Dolbadarn Castle, so no buildings nearby, these days. The closest is the Royal Victoria Hotel.

A cursory glance online shows that the manufacturer was none other than James Keiller & Sons of Dundee - the makers of the first commercial brand of marmalade in Great Britain. It was an iconic brand in Victorian times.

In the 18th Century, James keiller bought the cargo of a Spanish ship which had sought refuge in a raging storm, on speculation. It included a consignment of Seville oranges which were past their best.

James’ mother Janet made a massive batch of marmalade, as they were well past the eating stage. It was sold in their little sweet shop in Dundee. Marmalade was nothing new. Their innovation was to include strips of peel.

After 1840 the family started a factory making marmalade. They moved it to Guernsey in 1859 to avoid the sugar tax - sound familiar? Eventually they ended up in Silvertown in East London, now home to the Tate & Lyle sugar factory, and started shipping their conserve around the world.

It officially became a trademarked brand in 1876.

It’s believed they also were the first to produce Dundee Cake.

In the 1920’s they bought up Crosse & Blackwell, the soup people, and was itself sold several times - at one point to Robertson’s.

The company now appears to have disappeared, but one of the family’s descendents is Monty Don the gardener. Who knew!

So, what’s the connection with Snowdonia?

Well, the nearest building to my discovery, as mentioned, is the Royal Victoria Hotel which opened in 1830 to cater for vast numbers of Victorian Tourists wanting to climb Snowdon.

After a day’s exertion, they’d return to the hotel for a hearty meal which included Snowdon Pudding, created by a lady called Alice Corbett in 1887.

A key ingredient of which is …. M A R M A L A D E.

My little pot fragment must be one of the discarded marmalade pots from the hotel, which had magically migrated … or simply got washed out of a spoil heap nearby.

There be gold in them there hills!

RJ