With Christmas approaching fast, I thought I would get one of my cupboards cleared out so it could become the XMAS cupboard. I usually start about this time of year so that each week I can start to collect the traditional goodies that we all seem to think we need at this time of year!

Every year after Xmas I say" I'm not buying all this next year ", as tins of biscuits, tubs of different crisps and nuts, jars and bottles all stand untouched seeing us through until the spring ( If the dates long enough that is).

Now one thing that always goes fast is the Cranberry Sauce, as turkey isn't turkey without a large dollop on your plate staining the lovely white turkey a hint of pink!!!

Now our favourite one is the Mulled Wine version that Ocean Spray do. As well as tasting really lovely it contains a lot of antioxidants which is good for you as well. This one comes in a small chunky glass jar that you could hold in the palm of your hand quite easily. This has a gold meal screw on lid with a gold label that goes all the way round the jar with a picture of cranberries on the front.

This sauce is a very deep red colour and is of a jelly constistency. I think what makes this taste different from the other sauces is probably the spices that are in this which are Ginger, Cassia and Nutmeg. When you taste this with your turkey you can really taste these spices which gives it a bit of a punch!

The ingredients in this are;

~~~North American Cranberries (43%)~~~
~~~Glucose-Fructose Syrup~~~
~~~Sugar~~~
~~~Red Wine (3%)~~~
~~~Spices~~~

with the nutrition info for 100g;

~~~Calories 225~~~
~~~Protein 0.3g~~~
~~~Carbs 55.0g~~~
~~~of which are sugars 55.0g~~~
~~~Fat 0.4g~~~
~~~Fibre 1.9g~~~
~~~Sodium 0.0g~~~

Antidoxidants (Total Phenolics) 150mg

You can also buy this in 4 other flavours which are Smooth, Extra Fruit, Wholeberry and Organic.This comes in a 190g jar.

Most people think that cranberry sauce is something that is just used at the dinner table, but it can be put into different recipes to give you wow factor!!

For example add some of this to a cheese toasted sandwich or pop some into a chicken wrap. This can also be added to a Summer pudding and tastes great in a Quiche. I have tried all these recipes in the past and it really makes a lovely difference to the dish. There are some good ideas on their webpage and I still have more to try.

I'm not to sure how much this costs as this particular one seems to be one that you can only buy at Xmas, so it should be in the shops anytime now!

Usually they seem to be on one sort of offer or another, this is the one item that I won't cut back on as it a very good quality sauce and you do get what you pay for when it comes to these sort of things I believe!!

So back to sorting out the Xmas cupboard and no doubt again next year I will still be saying "I'm not buying that next year!!!"

A big fat 5 stars for this!!!!