For the Cumberland sauce, put the orange zest in a small saucepan, cover with 250ml/10fl oz cold water and bring to the boil for 8-10 minutes, then drain in a sieve and set aside. Bring the orange juice, port, redcurrant jelly and lemon juice to a simmer in a small saucepan. Cook for 8-10 minutes over a low heat, or until the jelly dissolves.
Old habits die hard, though, and even after happily finishing a generous plate of ham slices with the Cumberland sauce, I went straight back to the carving board and stood there, unable to stop myself, picking and eating any remaining meat from the bone. Fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cumberland Sauce is always served cold or at room temperature. As mentioned above, it is extremely good with cold cuts of meat whether it’s duck, goose, gammon and even turkey. And is also perfect with mixed game pie.
You can’t have glazed ham without Cumberland sauce, so here’s our definitive recipe. Cumberland sauce is a fruit sauce that’s a little bit sweet, a little bit sour – and really, you could use it on other cold meats, too.