Mary Berry’s recipe for red cabbage – Christmas cooking tips and advice from the Great British Bake Off star

FOR me, Christmas is a time for celebration, for family, for laughter and good food.

I remember the times when I used to prepare everything at home – the turkey, vegetables, stuffing and pudding – and take it to Granny’s on Christmas Eve, ready to be cooked the next day.

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Although, these days, most of my Christmases are at home and the young come back to us with their children, so the preparation and organisation doesn’t seem to be getting much less.

So I’ve gathered together my festive recipes and a few snippets of wisdom gained over the years to make your Christmas cooking easier and less stressful.

I wish you very happy cooking, a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

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Braised red cabbage (serves 8)

Ingredients:

1. 1 large (about 1kg) red cabbage, finely shredded
2. 450g cooking apples, peeled and roughly chopped
3. 40g caster sugar    
4. Salt and freshly ground
5. black pepper
6. 2tbsp white wine vinegar
7. 50g butter
8. 2tbsp redcurrant jelly

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/130ºC fan/gas mark 2.

This is an ideal vegetable to prepare ahead, and it is excellent with turkey or goose.

You don’t need to add any liquid to the red cabbage to cook it – if you rinse the shredded cabbage in a colander before cooking, then a little water is retained in the shreds.

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Method:

1. Layer the cabbage and apples in a large pan or casserole, and add the sugar, seasoning, vinegar and dots of butter. Gently stir to mix.
2. Cook in the preheated oven for 2-21/2 hours or until the cabbage
   is tender.
3. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and adjust seasoning to taste.