Mary Berry's 1-Step Cranberry Sauce Takes 'Seconds' To Make

The fewer steps I can take while making Christmas dinner, the better. 

I already boil my potatoes the night before roasting them for an easier roast and crunchier result, and I’ve kept airtight containers of easy-peasy fudge in my fridge for last-minute gifts for years now. 

But it never occurred to me that making cranberry sauce ― which I always assumed involved as many sugar thermometers and stovetop sweating as jam ― could be made last minute. 

At least, I didn’t until I read Mary Berry’s recipe, which she says “takes seconds to make.” 

How’s the cranberry sauce made?

The one-step recipe is simple; the Cordon Bleu-trained chef mixes fresh cranberries with sugar, spices, and orange, blending them together until they’re smooth. 

After that, she says, you can heat it up or eat it as-is. 

Her method is much easier than, say, Nigella Lawson’s, which involves boiling the mixture with sugar for ten minutes ― that’ll give you a jammier, more spreadable result. 

Gordon Ramsay simmers his version too, adding apples, cardamom pods, and port.

Jamie Oliver takes the same approach too, using maple sugar instead of sugar. 

Mary seems to be on her own here ― but with pretty good reviews on the BBC’s site, it seems the one-step approach may be worth a shot. 

How soon ahead can I make the sauce?

Mary Berry’s quick fix does have a downside; it only lasts a day in the fridge. 

The stewed, jammier kinds can stay good for up to two weeks in an airtight jar in the fridge ― they make incredible gifts which look like you spent much more effort on them than you really did. 

The former GBBO judge’s offerings don’t have that feature, but for the sake of one less pan to wash, I can see its appeal...