We have 2 options when it comes to the sugar we use to make Simon’s Marmalade and Simon’s Shortbread – either from sugarcane or sugar beet.  Chemically speaking, white table sugar made from sugarcane or sugar beet  are identical and contain 99.95% sucrose.  The remaining 0.05% are impurities.  It is these impurities that some people believe affect the culinary performance of the sugar.

The Options

Sugarcane is a grass that looks similar to bamboo and stores its sugar in its stem. It is grown in warm, moist tropical and semitropical climates.  

Sugar beet is related to beetroot and belongs to the spinach family. It stores its sugar in its root.  It is grown in temperate climates and adapts well to cold and warmer climates. 

The Process

The process used to separate the sugar from cane and beet is similar but not the same because  the starting materials have different compositions. In both cases the cane/beet is washed, chopped and boiled to get the sugar into solution. The sugar solution is then put in evaporators where crystallisation of the sugar takes place.  To ensure sugarcane sugar crystals are pure white, it is processed using bone char; sugar crystals from sugar beet do not require this step

The difference

Nutritionally there is no difference between cane sugar and beet sugar but some people can notice a slight difference in aroma but the vast majority of people can not.  Some people report that cane sugar caramelises better than beet sugar and others claim beet sugar burns quicker and is harder to work.

Our Conclusion

We have always used beet sugar because it is grown in this country and wherever possible we want to use British ingredients and support local sugar beet growers. We also feel that the history of cane sugar taints its story.  Whilst, as far as we are aware, there is no connection to slavery in the modern process and companies, some of the plantations have a history that dates back to the days of slavery and wouldn’t be there without it, which, as white Europeans, we have to respect and acknowledge.  

We have found that beet sugar performs well for us and achieves the character and caramelisation that we want to achieve in the marmalade. The other benefit of beet sugar over cane sugar is that beet sugar can be classified as vegan which means Simon’s Marmalade and Simon’s Marmalade Gin Liqueur can also be classed as vegan.

We are aware that the growing of sugar beet has its problems, such as the difficulty of dealing with aphids that act as virus vectors and which can be devastating to the crop.  As organic beet sugar is not available in this country, we feel we are using the best sugar available to us which is beet sugar from British Sugar.