There will be over half an hour more daylight today compared with December 21st just passed, but it’s hard to feel the benefit as the weather is so miserable. The fun and games of Christmas seems a long way away, so I’ve been looking for some distraction.
Between the two World Wars, my grandmother was a top-class cook in a country house. She had to give it all up when she got married, but kept all her cookery notebooks.
Looking through them the other day, I came across lots of recipes for drinks. Most of them were completely new to me. There are cocktails, liqueurs, some hot drinks, and many cold ones. Best of all, if you’re having a Dry January there are loads of non-alcoholic drinks.
One of these is called Cranberry Crush. It just so happens that a basket in my freezer is currently full of cranberries. I nabbed them straight after Christmas, when the price was at rock bottom. One of my presents was some of Hotel Chocolat’s white chocolate cranberries. They’re irresistible, so I wanted to try making my own.
It seemed a shame not to use some of those cranberries to try out Gran’s old recipe. It worked a treat, so here’s how you do it:
Gently simmer a pound (454 grammes) of cranberries with about a pint (575 ml) of water. As the berries start to pop, help them to give up their juice by pressing gently with a wooden spoon. Add half a pound (227 grammes) of granulated sugar, together with the grated rind and juice of two sweet oranges, and the grated rind a lemon. Stir until all the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, and leave the Cranberry Crush to stand for an hour before straining. Keep refrigerated.
This produces a concentrated syrup, which you can see in the photo. It’s a beautiful colour, and balances sweetness with a fruity tang. I like it diluted with tonic water, but of course you can use mineral water or ginger ale. I’ll definitely be making it again!