Ingredients:

– 1 lemon, unwaxed if possible
– 1 large orange, or two mandarin oranges
– 4 dozen cloves, approx.
– 170g (6oz) brown sugar
– 2 sticks cinnamon
– 2–3 star anise (optional)
– 1 bottle red wine
– ½ bottle ruby port

To garnish
– thin slices of orange and lemon
– sprinkling of grated nutmeg (optional)

Method:

1. Pare the lemon and the orange (or mandarins) thinly and remove the pith.
2. Stud the peeled fruit all over with cloves, and add to a large saucepan with 570ml (1 pint) water. Add the brown
sugar, cinnamon and star anise, if using. If you are using unwaxed lemons or oranges, you can add the peel too.
3. Stir over heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for about an hour to give the flavours time to combine. (Even
better, you can prepare this a day in advance to really give the flavours a chance to blend, and simply reheat it before the next step.)
4. Strain and discard the fruit and spices. Return the infused liquid to the saucepan and add the red wine and port. Reheat to bring almost to the boil.
5. Serve hot with orange and lemon slices and a sprinkling of
nutmeg if desired.