Home-made sauces absolutely always beat the jarred or tinned variety and are not difficult to do.

Here are a couple of classics.

Cranberry Sauce

• 200g fresh cranberries
• Juice and grated zest of 1 orange
• 3 tablespoons marmalade (the fine-shred variety is best)
• 120g light Muscovado sugar
• 40ml port

Place all the ingredients into a heavy-based pan and bring to the boil.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

Store in the refrigerator or freeze until you’re ready to use.

Cranberry sauce adds a delicious twist when added to sausage rolls before baking.

Mayonnaise

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon English mustard
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 100ml virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Add the egg yolks, mustard and seasoning to a large bowl.

Mix the two oils together and add one teaspoon to the egg yolks.

Start to whisk the egg yolks then add the oil in a very slow stream.

After you have used about half of the oil, add the vinegar or lemon juice and keep whisking, again slowly adding the oil until it has all gone and the mayonnaise has a fairly thick consistency.

Taste and add more seasoning, vinegar or lemon juice if necessary.

If the mixture begins to curdle during whisking, add a splash of very cold water and continue to whisk, or put a new egg yolk into a clean bowl and very gradually whisk in the curdled mixture.

Store in the refrigerator for up to four days.