It was another early start for me today. I don't know why I wake so early but I quite enjoy the peace and quiet of the early morning, a more gentle start to the day. An mug of coffee, toast and marmalade. Unhurried and very much enjoyed.
This morning, once I'd taken Lily to school, I set about making my cranberry sauce for our Christmas Dinner. It's something which, once deciding to do, actually takes very little time and effort but I think tastes so much more delicious than store bought. I just need to be sure I have in the few ingredients I need. At the beginning of the week I noticed the supermarket had got some fresh cranberries in stock, so I swiftly grabbed myself a packet, as often they don't have any out on the shelf. Next on the list was a bottle of Port. I hadn't realised I'd run out but as it's something I only use at Christmas, this didn't really come as a surprise.
I made my sauce using 300g fresh cranberries, 100g light muscovado sugar and 150mls Port. You can substitute some of the port with freshly squeezed orange juice if you like. Then all you need to do is put the ingredients into a large saucepan and boil for ten minutes, being sure to stir all the time, whilst breathing in the wonderful Christmassy aromas. Allow to cool slightly, then decant into a sterilised jar.
That's another job I can tick off my list and so much more enjoyable than when I cleaned the oven yesterday, although that was very satisfying when I could see the results of all my hard work.
J. X
