There’s nothing like a traditional British fish and chip dinner with all the trimmings. And the mushy peas MUST be smothered in mint sauce. I have a flourishing mint plant in my garden so I make my own mint sauce for next to nothing. Once I’ve made my mint sauce I can it in a water bath and the jars stay fresh for a whole year.
Ingredients to Make Mint Sauce
- Mint Leaves
- White Wine Vinegar
- Sugar
I’ve harvested the last of the years mint leaves. The plant will be dying back shortly so this is an excellent way to preserve the mint leaves for enjoying throughout the winter.
If you’re buying a packet from the supermarket one pack will give you enough mint sauce for a meal or maybe two. The growing mint is much better value and will give you a continuous supply of mint leaves.
Cooking Equipment You Will Need to Make Mint Sauce
You do not need a lot of equipment to can at home. You can get started with tools you probably already have in your kitchen.
To make Mint Sauce you will need:
- Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Large Pan
- Small Jars
A pair of jar lifters will make it much easier to remove your jars from the pan of boiling water. If you don’t have any you could remove the water with a jug or cup until you can reach the top of the jars. You’ll need something to protect your hands as the jar lids will be boiling hot. It’s a lot of phaff and jar lifters are not expensive so I would advise you to invest in a pair.
A jar funnel is also extremely useful for filling your jars. You could manage without one but the chances of making a huge mess are very high so this is another gadget that I would recommend you invest in if you plan on doing more home canning.
A mini food processor would make light work of chopping all of those mint leaves. But you can absolutely make this this mint sauce without one.
How to Cook Mint Sauce
I give my mint leaves a good wash to remove any soil or bugs.
Then I remove the stems by running my fingers along each stem, pulling off the leaves.
My herb chopper makes chopping herbs a bit quicker than with a knife. A helpful little gadget but not essential.
Once I’ve chopped all the mint leaves I put them into a pan. It’s difficult to chop the mint leaves finely enough for mint sauce so I give them a whizz with my hand blender. This chops the mint leaves into really tiny bits.
Sprinkle some sugar onto the chopped mint leaves. Turn on the hob and gently heat the mint leaves and sugar. Add a little white wine vinegar and bring the mint sauce to the boil.
Once the sugar has dissolved give it a taste and see if you need to add more sugar or vinegar. Keep adjusting the quantities until you are happy with the taste and consistency of your mint sauce.
Ladle the mint sauce into clean jars and screw on the lids.
You can leave it at that if you like. Your jars of mint sauce will last for a couple of months if you keep them in your fridge.
How to Can Mint Sauce
I like to make a big batch of mint sauce and water bath can it in little jars. It lasts for up to a year in the cupboard this way.
When you screw on the lids make sure they are “finger tip tight”. So instead of tightening the lids as you normally would with your whole hand just just the tips of your fingers. This secures the lids but loosely enough that the excess air can escape as it expands when heated.
Process in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius.
If you don’t have a canner don’t despair, you can can this recipe using a large pan. Pop your jars into the pan and fill it with enough hot water to completely cover your jars. Bring the water to the boil then start your timer. You’ll need to keep an eye on your pan to make sure that the water continues to boil for the full 15 minutes. At the end of the time turn off the heat and let the water cool before removing your jars, or you can use a jar lifter.
This is the jar lifter and funnel set that I use. (Affiliate Link)
As your jars cool you’ll hear them go “pop”. This is the lids sealing tight shut. Check your jars once they are cool and make sure that the little button on the top of each jar is pressed down.
I do hope this recipe has inspired you to have a go at making your own mint sauce, especially if you have a mint plant in your garden!
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A Note on Food Safety
Freezing and defrosting food really isn’t complicated. But it terrifies me how many people aren’t familiar with basic food hygiene so if you’re new to cooking from scratch and freezing please follow these safety guidlines.
The important things to remember are:
- Wash your hands and anything else that has been in contact with raw meat.
- Meals should last for about 3 days in the fridge.
- Do not defrost your meals at room temperature.
- Do not refreeze meals you have already defrosted.
- Consume food before the use by date.
A Little Bit About Me . . .
Hi there! Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie.
Each week I cook up a big batch of a single meal. Most of it goes in the freezer, then it’s just defrost and reheat or sling it in the oven. Even on busy school nights my family get to enjoy healthy home cooked meals that my kids actually eat.
Each week I share a new recipe on my blog. Most of my meals cost less than £1 per portion.
I really hope that my ideas can help other people to stretch their budgets.
I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.
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