They'll be choking on their toast in deepest middle England this morning as news spreads that marmalade's reputation as the quintessentially English spread so beloved by Paddington Bear has been well and truly shredded ...

because for the first time ever, the clear winners of this year's World Marmalade Awards are Scottish.

The news will no doubt cause a stir, as the true origins of whether marmalade originated in England or Scotland has been the subject of heated debate for centuries.

Clan Hamilton came top in the new Stirring of the Clans category; the Army Veterans Charity in Auchincruive, Ayr, has won the gong for its entry in the Military category; and Wemyss House in Bayfield, by Tain, Ross-shire, has come first in the B&B category. All three won Double Golds, beating stiff competition in a record overall total of 2000 marmalades submitted from England, Wales, the US and the Far East.

The judges - a select group of food historians, food writers and Women's Institute members - declared the Hamilton Honey marmalade by Catie Gladstone, a member of clan Hamilton from Dumfries, to be "rich and smooth, and a breath of Scotland's misty lands".

The military veterans - under the guidance of horticultural therapist Victoria Brown - proved that traditional Seville orange marmalade still holds it own against exotic newcomers made with pomelo grapefruit, lemons, blood oranges or blackcurrants, some with added seaweed, lemongrass, cardamom, lemongrass, sake and espresso. Wemyss House's fine cut sample was "powerfully flavoured".

The winners will be offered the opportunity to have their marmalades stocked by upmarket grocers Fortnum & Mason in London's Piccadilly.

Catie Gladstone told the Sunday Herald: "I'm amazed to win this award as I've never made marmalade before. I was helped by my Aunt Sona, and used local honey from Dumfriesshire instead of sugar because I wanted to celebrate my Scottish heritage through my marmalade."

England and Scotland have been at daggers drawn for many years over which nation has best claim to marmalade.

The preserve started out in the early 15th century as marmelos, an early version of quince paste, which was imported from Portugal to various British ports. Henry VIII was an early recipient, and there is also the belief - some say myth - that it was given to Mary, Queen of Scots when she fell ill on her journey from France to Scotland ('Marie la malade' or 'Mary the sick' morphing into marmalade). Recipes for orange marmalade, home-made in the kitchens of Scots and English country house owners who could afford to buy expensive imported citrus fruits and sugar, date back to the 17th century. Some are held at the National Library of Scotland, though it's believed that the earliest recipe is English, made by squishing the fruit into a paste.

What is uncontested though is that Janet Keiller of Dundee was the first to make a spreadable marmalade with shredded orange peel, and that the Keiller family were first to produce it on a commercial scale from 1797. Mackays of Dundee are the only remaining producers of the original Dundee marmalade.

Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the World Marmalade Awards which takes place at her home in Dalemain House near Penrith, said: "We've been running the awards for ten years now and this year is the first that we have seen so many entries from Scotland.

"It's a clear indication that this ancient tradition is alive and cooking in Scotland. The fact that three top prizewinners are Scottish suggests that Scotland is better at making marmalade than England."

She added that England "must up its game if it doesn't want to be beaten by Scotland once again."