Cranberry sauce recipe

Cranberry sauce is an essential condiment for most roast dinners and this homemade version is deliciously tart and sweet.

Cranberry sauce is a classic addition to a roast that can be used all year round. As with most things, homemade tastes so much better than the shop-bought version. And the good news is that it's actually really easy to make. For this recipe, you simply need to simmer the 5 ingredients together until the sauce is thick and sticky. Too good to save just for Christmas, this sauce recipe is also delicious used in a pie, pastry, or sandwich.

Ingredients

• 450g (1lb) fresh or defrosted cranberries
• 150ml (¼ pint) port
• 100g (4oz) golden caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Juice of ½ orange

Method

1. To make the cranberry sauce, put all the ingredients in a saucepan along with 300ml (½ pint) water.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until the cranberries are soft and have burst open.
3. Store in a sealed jar until you need to use it and then enjoy on Christmas Day.

Top tips for making cranberry sauce

Cranberry sauce can be served either chilled or at room temperature as a delicious glaze for your Christmas day meats or a sauce for your tasty vegetables. It would make an excellent sauce for grilled meats - simply brush some of the sauce over the meat towards the end of the grilling time for a delicious, smooth, sweet coating.

Due to its very few ingredients, cranberry sauce has a very simple sweet taste of pure cranberries and sugar. The texture can be quite jelly-like, and that's why it well suits a tender piece of meat. If your sauce is tasting a little bitter, simply add a small amount of maple syrup to intensify the sweetness until you reach your desired flavour - avoid adding more sugar as unless it completely dissolves in the sauce you won't create the same effect.

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