Spiced Cranberry Compote with Port

As well as serving with turkey, this is excellent as a component in a fruit starter, for example with ripe melon. It goes superbly well with most cuts of cold meats – it is sensational with traditional spiced beef – and I use a variation of it as a Christmas cheesecake topping: substitute half of the cranberries with blueberries and use ground cinnamon instead of allspice.

Method
Dissolve the sugar in the orange juice in a 2 litre AGA stainless steel pan on the simmering plate and then add the cranberries and spice. Cover, bring to the boil and cook in the simmering oven until the berries are tender, about 15 minutes. Slake the arrowroot in a little cold water and stir into the sauce and cook for a minute on the simmering plate until thickened slightly and glossy. Cool and stir in the port before storing in a covered container in the refrigerator.