Our first chef’s blog features some Christmas recipes from the Honey + Harvey kitchen provided by executive chef David Shaw.

H&H mulled wine

Best served with a warm mince pie

Ingredients
2 unwaxed oranges
1 lemon, peel only
150g caster sugar
4 cloves, plus extra for garnish
5 cardamom pods, crushed
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
A large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 bottles of fruity red wine such as Merlot or Cabernet
250ml ginger wine

Method

• Peel and juice 1 orange, then add to a large saucepan along with the lemon peel, sugar and spices.
• Add enough red wine to just cover the sugar, and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.
• Bring to the boil and cook for 6 – 8 minutes until you have a thick syrup.
• If you’re serving the mulled wine immediately, stud the second orange with 6 vertical lines of cloves, and then cut into segments to use as a garnish.
• Turn the heat down, and pour the rest of the red wine into the saucepan, along with the ginger wine.
• Gently heat through and serve with the orange segments as a garnish.
• Alternatively, you can allow the mulled wine to cool, and pour it into sterilised bottles for use at a later date.