Mint Sauce Recipe

This mint sauce recipe is an effective way of preserving mint for use during the winter. Don't be misled into thinking that drying herbs is the only way to preserve them - you can preserve herbs in many ways, sauces, jellies, freezing, oils, butters - check out the Preserving Herbs section.

Mint can grow like a weed during the summer but dies down completely over the winter.

It's a must have with roast lamb - along with mint jelly of course. I love mint sauce or mint jelly with sausages and gammon too. Also barbecued liver! yes, really, there is such thing. 

It only takes a few minutes to prepare. You can use it straight away if you like - it does strengthen in flavour the longer you leave it.

Gather mint from your garden before it flowers - the bees love the flowers - or buy it fresh from the supermarket. A bunch of mint will cost you less than £1 or euro or dollar in most places and will be enough for most families to use as mint sauce. 

The first step here is to preserve the mint in vinegar and sugar, this is how to store it. Then when you're ready to use it, the second step is to take some out from your jar and dilute it with some more vinegar - you can use any type you like. I tend to use either white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar which I make myself. 

You will need a good handful of mint for this recipe.

Give it a rinse with clean water and dry it.

Pick the leaves off the stalk.

It is better to have young leaves for this recipe, but it won't affect the finished sauce if you leave it a bit later in the season.

This recipe is designed to keep the mint preserved in vinegar ready to make into a sauce to serve with your food.

Finely chop the mint leaves.

To make the sauce, you only need to add white wine vinegar and caster sugar.

You can use other vinegar or sugar, but I like to use these in the recipe.

For the next steps, follow the link below.

Put your finely chopped mint into a sterilized jar.

Tip you sterilize them by boiling the jars for 10 minutes in water.

Tap the mint down and pour over white wine vinegar to cover.I have used about 100 ml here.

Add 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Caster sugar is best for the sauce as it dissolves quicker.

Give it a quick stir and then you are ready to store it.

It will keep about 6 months or so.

When you want to use it for your lamb, take 1 teaspoon of sauce, add 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar and give it a good stir.

Sprinkle it over your meat.

I use it with gammon, liver and sausages as well as lamb.

Mint Jelly

Mint Pesto

Oven Dry Herbs