Cranberry Sauce recipe

Whilst the humble cranberry isn't indigenous to the UK would Christmas dinner be the same without it?

The jewel of the festive season is the berry of a dwarf evergreen shrub. The plant can grow to two metres in length but only grows to a maximum height of approximately 20cm. Cranberries are usually found growing in boggy ground in the US and Canada, with the US, Canada and Chile growing 97% of the worlds supply!

So how did cranberry sauce come about and how on earth did it end up in the UK?

Back in the mid to late 17th century the Native Americans picked these sour berries and cooked them down in sugar and water. By the late 18th century this humble sauce became the most favoured accompaniment to game, most notably turkey at Thanksgiving.

Thanks to the introduction of canning methods, cranberry sauce was brought to the UK in 1941 by American military personnel during the Second World War. Cranberry sauce is now a staple of Christmas dinner.

I am not completely sure when fresh and frozen cranberries became available in our supermarkets but I first noticed them 15 or so years ago and set about trying to make my own cranberry sauce.

For me it needed to be fragrant, not too sweet, and compliment not only our turkey but cheeses and other cold meats. Over the years I have even been known to add some to a beef stew or lamb casserole.

Many of my friends have asked for jars of my magical cranberry sauce and so I thought, now I have perfected it, it was time to share it with you all.

So, drum roll please, here is my mulled wine cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

500g fresh or frozen raspberries

juice and zest of one orange

100ml red wine

1 dessert spoon of gingerbread spice mix or mixed spice

410g soft brown sugar.

Method

Add all the ingredients to a heavy bottomed pan and allow to simmer over a low heat. After 30 minutes increase the heat slightly and allow the flavours to be absorbed and the sauce to reduce. Stir regularly (be aware this will spit like the devil) and allow the sauce to thicken. It will continue to thicken as it cools down, so don't over cook it. 

Whilst my family aren't fond of an over sweet sauce I appreciate that many may prefer it sweeter, if this is the case simply add sugar to your liking.

I like to batch cook my cranberry sauce and pour it into sterilised jars. This allows me to have a year round supply as well as being to pop in a hamper of edible gifts. I highly recommend looking for reduced fresh cranberries and popping them in the freezer.

Cranberry sauce is super easy to make and extremely scrumptious. I promise you everyone will love it.