In this Hairy Bikers cranberry sauce, the sherry or port goes in last, once most of the 250g of berries have burst. So by my timings, the Veggie Feasts batch takes 15 minutes on the hob and 30 to cool, giving roughly 8 servings of 45 calories.
They can’t agree with themselves on sugar, using 100g in British Classics and Everyday Winners but only 50g in Veggie Feasts. So this one is the sharpest, and it takes 1 orange or 2 clementines, with oloroso sherry or port to finish.
The recipe asks for most of the cranberries to burst, not all, so you stop while some are still whole. And in British Classics they spell out the finish you want, which is “a mixture of whole and broken-down cranberries” in the pan.
Hairy Bikers Cranberry Sauce
Description
Fresh or frozen berries cook gently with citrus zest, juice and a little sugar until most of them pop and the juices thicken. Then a spoonful of sherry or port gets a final minute’s simmer, before it cools in the serving bowl.
Ingredients
For the sauce
Instructions
- Fill the pan: Put the cranberries, the orange or clementine zest and juice and the sugar into a pan, then add a splash of water.
- Cook gently: Cook over a gentle heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then keep it going until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.
- Taste: Taste the sauce and stir in a little more sugar if it is too sharp for you.
- Add the port: Then stir in the oloroso or port and simmer for another minute.
- Cool: Transfer it to a serving bowl and leave it to cool before serving.
FAQs
How is the British Classics version different?
It doubles the sugar to 100g and leaves out the port, so it’s simply cranberries, one orange’s juice and zest, and sugar. And it serves 8, which is why I’ve used the same count for the Veggie Feasts batch.
In British Classics, though, the list says “250ml cranberries” rather than a weight, while the Veggie Feasts and Everyday Winners versions weigh out 250g. So I’d treat it as a misprint and weigh them. And it’s the sauce they serve with their British Classics roast turkey and their nut roast.
What about their cranberry relish?
In Everyday Winners, their relish uses 250g of berries, 100g of sugar, an orange’s juice, 1 tsp of zest and a pinch of salt. Then 50ml of port is optional, and it’s done once at least half the cranberries have burst.
They say it “will thicken and become jammy” as it cools, and they suggest it with their Pigs in Blankets Toad in the Hole. That recipe isn’t on this site yet, so their classic toad in the hole is the nearest match for now.
Is there a Hairy Bikers cranberry and kumquat sauce?
Yes, but it’s a set topping in Perfect Pies, with 500g of cranberries and 250g of kumquats simmered in 150ml of water for 10 minutes. Then 250g of sugar, 6 allspice berries and a cinnamon stick go in for 10 minutes more, followed by 3 tbsp of port.
Two soaked gelatine leaves then set it in the fridge, ready to top a cold turkey and ham pie. But that’s a different pie from their hot turkey, ham and stuffing pie, which bakes under a pastry lid. So for a softer, spoonable sauce, I’d leave the gelatine out, which is my suggestion rather than theirs.
Can you make it with Cointreau?
I couldn’t find a Hairy Bikers cranberry sauce with Cointreau in the 16 UK cookbooks of theirs I’ve been through, or on their website. And of the four versions I’ve found, the ones with alcohol all use port, with oloroso sherry as the only other option.
For orange liqueur, I’d use it in place of the tablespoon of port at the end, though that’s my swap, not theirs. Or for leftover sauce, their chicken cordon bleu tucks 2 teaspoons inside each breast with ham and Emmental.
Is it vegan, and can you make it ahead?
It comes from Veggie Feasts, where it’s served with their Christmas veggie Wellington, and the sauce itself is plant-based. And their vegan tip in that book covers the Wellington too, swapping out the egg and using vegan puff pastry. But some sherries and ports are fined with animal products, so check the label if it matters to you.
None of the four recipes gives a keeping time, so this is my own guide: covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. That means it can be made a few days before Christmas, and the recipe takes frozen cranberries as well as fresh.
