Cranberry sauce recipe which is not just for turkey, although I concur to the point that it does liven up the generally bland bird.  CHECK out the video below, for how to cook cranberry sauce, how to sterilise jars and how to know when cranberry sauce is ready to put into jars!

Cranberry sauce also goes nicely with lamb cutlets, or pork and I often use it in desserts.  It makes a great leftover where it can be used as a filling with pancakes and also makes a lovely topping for a cheesecake once blitzed to make a compote. The other dish which I see many people have it as an accompaniment to, is of course meatballs. This is probably a nod to Swedish meatballs and lingonberry.

There are so many variations to this cranberry sauce recipe. For example, some people choose to add additional ingredients such as port, orange, mixed spice, ginger, apple and red wine. Don’t be afraid to add a little of what you fancy. I have kept this recipe very traditional. You can also use a hand blender for this recipe to make a smooth sauce if you wish.

here is something about Christmas that makes me want to start making preserves.  I have a number of different cranberry sauce recipes that I have enjoyed making over the years, not just for myself to consume, but for gifts to friends.  A year or so back, a good friend was highly delighted that I had brought round a jar of my homemade cranberry sauce, because she had forgotten to buy it at the supermarket.

The nice thing about preserves is that you can make them in advance.  I do not like Christmas being thrust into my face during September, however when it gets to the beginning of November I like to tuck myself away into my kitchen, with pans of preserves bubbling away.  It is doing little bits of preparation like this that makes the seasonal celebrations easier and more enjoyable.  I also find that items such as sauces and chutney has an improved flavour if made a month or so ahead.  Like an excited child I will head to my pantry and pull out a jar of something I made a few weeks earlier, and team it with fabulous cheese, bread and meat, making a ploughman’s lunch of sorts.