Yesterday I prepared my Christmas Day vegetables and took photos of the key steps of this red cabbage recipe, planning to sit down in the evening or this morning to write a piece that would be filled with joy, hope and perhaps reinforced with witty repartee. The latter criteria is subjective but over the years, I have grown comfortable with laughing at my own jokes.

This morning I am sad and angry and all fizzy witticisms have dissolved in my intermittently wet eyes at the news that there will be even more loneliness now for so many people at Christmas.

Time has never been more precious. Frankincense, myrrh, gold and even toilet rolls pale into insignificance during 2020, when compared to Einstein’s cherished fourth dimension. Time is what we truly wish we could all give and receive. Now so many people cannot.

Enough of the disappointments, for this dish is not one of them. Make it on the day or make it in advance and freeze it as I do, it is both sanguine in colour and sanguine in mood.

And heaven knows, we could all do with some of that.

INGREDIENTS

One whole head of red cabbage

One peeled and chopped eating apple

4-5 cloves of garlic

The zest and juice of one orange

200g redcurrant jelly

2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

Pour the olive oil into the bottom of the sauce pan over a low heat.

Bash and peel the garlic cloves, add them to the warm oil and fry for a few minutes, taking care to not brown or burn the garlic.

Add the apple, zest, juice and jelly, dissolve everything together and let this bubble and infuse for a few minutes while you slice the cabbage.

Add the sliced cabbage and enough boiled water to just cover it. Bring this to a vigorous simmer for ten minutes then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for around 40-50 minutes.

Your cabbage should then be throughly pink and glossy. You can drain it or do as I do and leave it to cool then freeze it in all the liquid.

On Christmas Day, add back into the pan and over a medium heat cook it from a frozen lump until it is piping hot throughout. Drain it, stir through a knob of butter or dash of olive oil for gloss and serve.