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British

Cumberland sauce

Vegetarian

Redcurrant jelly melted with port, orange and lemon juice, shallot, mustard and ginger, with fine strips of blanched citrus zest. A glossy, sweet-sharp cold sauce for ham, game and pâté.

Cumberland sauce is a British sauce from United Kingdom, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with redcurrant jelly and port wine. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
10
Level
Easy
Calories
88

Ingredients

10 servings (about 40 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pare the zest from the orange (opens in a new tab) and lemon (opens in a new tab) with a peeler, avoiding the white pith, and cut it into needle-fine strips. Squeeze the juice from both. Finely chop the shallot (opens in a new tab).

    Lemon being squeezed
    How it looks · Photo: Gu Ko on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Blanch the zest strips and shallot (opens in a new tab) in boiling water for 3 minutes to remove bitterness, then drain in a sieve.

  3. Step 3

    Melt the redcurrant jelly (opens in a new tab) with the port (opens in a new tab) and citrus juices in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over low heat, whisking, for about 5 minutes until completely smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the mustard powder and ginger with a spoonful of the hot liquid to a smooth paste, then whisk it back in. Add the zest, shallot (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer gently for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and syrupy.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Cool completely, at least 1 hour; it thickens to a loose, glossy, pourable jelly. Serve cold.

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Commonly attributedA 19th-century English sauce; the name is often linked to the Duke of Cumberland, but this is not proven. Escoffier included it among English cold sauces.Also popular in IrelandMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Blanched
Taste
sweet & sour, fruity, citrusy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Orange · Lemon · Shallot · Mustard seeds · Ground ginger
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Blanching · Knife skills · Reduction

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds
  • Contains: Sulphitesfrom port wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

88 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 42 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 2%
  • Carbohydrate 96%
  • Fat 2%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy88 kcal210 kcal
Protein0.4 g1 g
Carbohydrate19.9 g47.5 g
Net carbohydrate19.1 g45.4 g
Sugars13.9 g33.2 g
Added sugars10.8 g25.7 g
Fibre0.9 g2.1 g
Fat0.2 g0.4 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium28 mg66 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
67 mg
Calcium
11 mg
Iron
0.2 mg
Magnesium
6 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
6 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Redcurrant jelly: Generic fruit jelly (FDC 169642) used for redcurrant jelly; both are clear, set fruit-juice and sugar preserves.
  • Port wine: Sweet dessert wine (FDC 173176) used for port, a sweet fortified wine of similar sugar and alcohol content.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Make it a few days ahead; the flavours deepen and it is one less thing to do at Christmas.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the zest unblanched, which makes the sauce bitter.

Serve with

  • Boiled or baked ham, especially at Christmas.
  • Venison, game pie, duck and cold roast meats.
  • Pâté, terrines and pork pie.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered jar for up to 2 weeks.

Variations

  • Oxford sauce (United Kingdom): A similar sauce with the zest grated rather than cut into strips.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Orange, 1 orange: zest pared and cut into fine 2 cm strips, then juiced (about 60 ml)130 g
  • Lemon, 1 lemon: zest pared and cut into fine strips, then juiced (about 30 ml)85 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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