Christmas is fast approaching and as usual I’m getting excited.

So that I’m not completely manic on the day I’m doing some prep work in advance that will make Christmas time a time we can all enjoy.

To kick things off I’m making cranberry Sauce. This is so easy to make that it’s a crime to buy it from the shop. It also keeps from ages as it’s effectively a jam and has the added bonus that it makes the house smell really Christmassy!!

This really is a one pot wonder but make sure you have a sterilised jam jar ready as this takes minutes to make and needs decanting as soon as you can after it’s started setting.

Ingredients

• 250g Cranberries
• 4 heaped tbs Sugar
• Zest and juice of a large clementine (or small orange)
• Glug of port

Method

• Pop the cranberries in a stainless steel smallish pan
• Add the zest and juice of the clementine
• Add the sugar and give everything a good stir
• Turn on the heat and bring everything to a boil (until you start to see things popping)
• Add the port, give everything a rough stir (to pop as many cranberries as you can)
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until things start to look jammy (see image below)
• Decant into a jar and store till ready to use

This makes a small jar (jam jar size) of cranberry sauce which is great for a small family.  Next stop I’m making and freezing my pigs in blankets so I don’t have to do those on the day. You can also find out also find out about my 4 hour low effort Christmas Lunch here