Photo: Daniel Sexton / Flickr

Cumberland sauce is named after Queen Victoria’s uncle, although nobody seems quite sure about how this came to be. What is known is that the sauce was almost always served with game dishes towards the end of her reign. Cumberland sauce is made with redcurrant jelly, port, orange and lemon juice, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce. It takes about 20 minutes of preparation time and an hour of cooking time. This recipe yields two cups of sauce and will keep for two months in the fridge.

Ingredients for Cumberland sauce

To make 500 ml of Cumberland sauce, you will need the following ingredients: 450 grams of redcurrant jelly, 375 ml of port, the grated rind of an orange and a lemon, the strained juice of an orange and a lemon, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a quarter of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Method for Cumberland sauce

Place the redcurrant jelly and the port into a small saucepan on a low heat. Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook over a low heat until the liquid has reduced by a third and has a ‘just-runny’ consistency. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the liquid to cool.

Once the liquid is cool, stir in the freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice. Add the grated lemon and orange rind and stir. Mix in the cayenne pepper and finally, mix in the Worcestershire sauce.

As mentioned, the sauce will keep for a good two months if it is refrigerated in an airtight container. It can be served cold with cold meats. Alternatively, heat it up again to serve it with hot meat dishes like game or ham. Should you enjoy eating an old-fashioned dish such as tongue, the sauce will go well with that too.

Tags: cooking, recipes