Cranberry & Port Sauce, the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas turkey and unbelievably simple to make.
I’m going to admit that in the past I’ve usually bought my cranberry sauce to serve alongside my Christmas turkey, but this year I decided that it was high time I got on and made my own.
I’m in charge of dinner this Christmas and I’m planning to make it as low effort as possible whilst still trying to make quite a few things from scratch. I love cooking and could happily while away a few hours in the kitchen cooking a roast, but that’s not what I’m planning on doing on the big day. I want to be in the lounge with my family and a glass of something delicious, opening presents and listening to cheesy Christmas music 🙂 .
The great thing about this cranberry and port sauce is that it can be prepared a few days in advance and stored in the fridge ready to get out and pop onto the table, so no effort on Christmas day. Another great thing is that it’s incredibly simple to make, chuck all of the ingredients into a pan, bring them to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes – all that’s needed is the occasional stir. The last great thing about it is that it’s yummy, the port adds a lovely rich flavour which I think goes perfectly with the sharpness of the cranberries.
By luck, on the day I was planning to photograph this recipe a preserving starter kit turned up on my doorstep, a little early Christmas present from Ball Preserving. Their jars are really pretty (can you see the lovely diamond pattern on them in the pictures), which means that you can pop them straight out onto your Christmas dinner table without worrying about decanting them into another dish.
There’s a bit more to the preserving kit than just the pretty jars though, it makes filling and sterilising jars easy and safe (as there’s no need to be handling hot jars) and contains all of the equipment you need. There’s full instructions included but essentially you fill the jars with your hot filling, pop them into the specially designed basket and then boil them to sterilise them, ready to store.
I didn’t need to use the full preserving kit for this cranberry sauce as I only make small batches that will be used up quickly, but I’m really looking forward to trying out some of the many recipes on the Ball website as I love homemade jams and chutneys.
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Cranberry & Port Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 300 g cranberries - fresh or frozen
- 75 g dark brown sugar
- 180 ml ruby port
- Zest of 1 orange - finely grated
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan (300g cranberries, 75g dark brown sugar, 180ml ruby port, zest of 1 orange). Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Stir occasionally.
- Serve or store in jars in the fridge for a few days.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians & Vegans
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Egg-Free
- Corn-Free
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
The ingredients for this recipe are easily available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Nicole says
I think I’d see how I got on with marmalade!
Susan Hoggett says
festive chutney and some strawberry and champagne jam
Kimberley Ryan says
red currant and blackcurrant jam
Jodie A Harvey says
Strawberry jam first for my girls 🙂
Mel says
Cranberries and port are a match made in heaven. Just add a bit of sugar and I AM in heaven, he he!
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
I’m so with you on the low effort Christmas dinner thing! Every year I vow to make things a little easier on myself and then get all carried away and end up spending far too much time in the kitchen and far too little time enjoying myself in the living room with my family! This year, however, it is just the 4 of us and I am determined to keep things easy peasy!!
Love your beautiful pics and gorgeous styling in this one. Cranberry sauce is one of those things you wonder why on earth you ever bought after making your own, isn’t it? It really is so ridiculously easy and I love how it can be made ahead of time, so no extra effort needed on Christmas Day 🙂 Eb x
Charlotte Oates says
I cannot believe how simple it is. I always assumed it was more like jam, messing around with thermometers, but it’s one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. Good luck with your low effort dinner x
Samantha O'D says
Chutney, my grandma had a great recipe thats been passed down for years
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
I think I would go for a red onion and apple chutney. I am such a huge chutney fan.
Tracy Newton says
I would attempt beetroot chutney
michelle o'neill says
apricot jam x
charlotte says
tomato chutney would be lovely.
Jo Hutchinson says
I would start with redcurrant jelly
Kay Sherman says
Strawberry and champagne jam
Rachel white says
I think I’d make a yummy chutney
Dawn Wilkinson says
I would make raspberry jam (I have raspberries in the freezer) My Mum makes the best raspberry jam and one day I hope to do the same.
Diane Waugh says
Marmalade
Sharon H says
Beetroot chutney, I’ve seen a recipe I’d love to try.
Lynsey Buchanan says
Strawberry jam
PAULINE HILL says
I grow a lot of gooseberries so jam would be good
Kim M says
Would love to try making a Christmassy chutney