JEWELS FOR THE CHRISTMAS TABLE

Bead-like and bold of hue, cranberries not only bring a fruity tang to bakes and savoury dishes, but add a decorative festive touch too

RICH IN COLOUR and sharp in taste, cranberries are small, round, deep red fruits related to blueberries. Fresh cranberries are very low in sugar, which accounts for their sour taste, so are more likely to be enjoyed when dried or juiced with added sweetener, than eaten raw.

Cranberries grow on vine-like plants, similar to strawberries, and typically come from North America and Eastern Europe, although they can be grown in the UK under favourable conditions. Appearing in shops from October through to December, darker coloured, firm and dry fruit should be chosen. They can be frozen for later use, such as for making cranberry sauce or jelly; the traditional accompaniment to turkey at Christmas dinner, and will keep up to 9 months in the freezer.

The berries are also used in baking, adding drops of sharpness to sweet treats, such as muffins, scones, cakes and breads, and combine well with orange. They also add tartness to savoury dishes, such as stews, and the popular Cosmopolitan cocktail includes cranberry juice.

The skins contain many of the berry’s beneficial vitamins and minerals, including calcium, beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A and helps support the immune system, and vitamin C.

Its name derives from the German ‘kraanbere’, translating to craneberry, in English. It is thought that the flower, stem, calyx, and petals resemble the neck, head, and bill of a crane. Another name for the variety more commonly found in Europe, Vaccinium oxycoccos, is fenberry, which originates from plants with small red berries found growing in the marshland Fens of East England.

“Be merry all, be merry all, With holly dress the festive hall; Prepare the song, the feast, the ball, To welcome merry Christmas”

William Robert Spencer