So, have you started thinking about your Christmas dinner yet? Still too early? Or do you already have it planned to the last gravy-stirring second?

And what’s it to be this year for Christmas dinner? A traditional turkey with all the trimmings? Or a goose? Or a partridge? Or a nut roast? Or do you just head over to mum’s and let her sort it out?!

Whatever (or wherever) is on the table this year, we think a Cranberry sauce at Christmas is a culinary essential! Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without it. This sweet and juicy sauce or jelly is American in origin – it was first offered to Christmas diners at the turn of the twentieth century and it gradually spread over to Europe, although of course, us Brits have been eating sweet sauces with our meats for eons. In America, cranberry sauce is generally sweetened more, whereas in Europe it is served a little tarter!

So, will you grab a jar off the supermarket shelves as you’re running round on Christmas Eve like a headless chicken, or do you feel like attempting to make your own this year? We think home-made is absolutely delicious, and super easy to make. Just follow our recipe below – now, pass us those cranberries for delicious cranberry sauce at Christmas!

• You will need: 250g punnet of fresh cranberries, 100g sugar, 100ml orange juice.
• Put the orange juice and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Add the cranberries and simmer until they are soft but are still holding their shape (probably about 10 minutes).
• Put them into a bowl to cool. The sauce will thicken as it gets cooler. Store it in the fridge and enjoy within a week.
• You could try adding other flavours to your cranberry sauce such as star anise, ginger or cardamom.

Image by Keira Bishop