A sauce of fascination

Western Morning News – July 2009

For most people, it’s tomato ketchup or brown sauce on their sausages, burgers or chips.

But there’s a little-known table sauce that is said to be making a comeback – Oxford Sauce.

It’s a spicy sauce dating back to about 1700 which became a traditional accompaniment to meat.

The sauce was made by mixing port with redcurrant jelly, marmalade, spices and a squeeze or two of orange and lemon juice, and is said to have evolved in Oxford’s college kitchens.

What does it taste like? One foodie put it like this: “Some people know recipes for super spicy sauces and some people know recipes for sweet and sour sauces, but when you combine the two, they taste horrible. Well, here is a recipe that is both super spicy and sweet and sour at the same time and it tastes good.”

Some people say there is little difference between Oxford Sauce and Cumberland, which is also made using redcurrant jelly dissolved with port.

A few years ago, Oxford Sauce was plucked from obscurity and given a new lease of life thanks to Baron Pouget’s Oxford Fine Food Company, which also makes a cheese named Oxford Blue.

Baron Pouget is now bottling Oxford Sauce commercially and it can be bought at local food stores. It is growing in popularity, particularly as it can now be found on pub and restaurant tables where the tourist trade is encouraged.

But it has largely remained a local delicacy – you are unlikely to find it on the shelves of supermarkets in the West Country.

Oxford Sauce has a variety of applications. It can be used as a marinade for chicken, fish or seafood. It can be used directly on the table, or as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes from cold meats to fried fish or bacon and eggs.

It is also used as an ingredient in dishes such as stews to give added body and spice up the flavour. It’s also good added to cream cheese, crème fraiche and mayonnaise as a dip.

Finally, it’s a useful ingredient to liven up cocktails – try stirring it into your Bloody Mary for an interesting taste.

Oxford Sauce keeps well too – lasting much longer than ketchup or brown sauce.