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I hate to mention Christmas, but?

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I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Hickybank » Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:02 pm

So ten weeks till Christmas, a Christmas I feel is going to be like no other.
I am guessing the way things are going we will not be visiting family & loved ones.
So, how can we make the best of it, food is the first thing that comes to mind.
I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where we post ideas to brighten the day a little
Breakfast, Dinner, Tea, snacky treats, drinks, (cocktails etc).
What do you think? I would love some fresh ideas.
For a cocktail
50ml Gin, 20ml Lime juice, Mango & Passionfruit drink.
Fill a 1/2 pint glass with ice, pour over Gin, Lime juice & passionfruit juice, slice of lime, drinking straw.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:28 pm

I suspect my Christmas will be just me and him. Unless his interest in food improves it will be a bit grim food-wise. I was interested in an article earlier in the week in the Daily Telegraph. Many turkey producers such as Kelly are going to offer half turkeys. Sorry , the article is behind a paywall but you may be able to get it as a freebie.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-dr ... key-table/

I am making my Christmas cake next week.

And I do have 2 litres of damson gin to look forward to courtesy of folk here.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Pampy » Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:35 pm


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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:11 pm

Thanks Pampy. That’s the one.

Even though my older son usually cooks Christmas dinner for around 20 family members I’ve cooked a turkey crown the last few years on Christmas Eve because I love the leftovers. I decided last year it really was an extravagance too far.

Is mostly my mum I’m worried about.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby herbidacious » Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:35 pm

As ever, the thought of Christmas fills me with dread and anxiety. This year not just the horribleness of being at my mother's (really nice food difficult to do for various reasons, and not appreciated or enjoyed anyway, and now she’s got rid of her three piece suite, nothing to sit on other than dining chairs and the floor) but the added thing of can we go, and if we do go should we stay? Is there any point in not staying? (other than discomfort, a trickle of a shower in a bath that's has the commode rinsed out in it a few times a day, and never cleaned afterwards, a loo with no door, uncomfortable beds, thin snore-permeating walls and a 7am wakeup call from carers every day. None of which are permissible reasons.) We can't really do a socially distanced thing so compromise will take place assuming we go. Rules are out the window because of all her mask-on-chins carers. I hate uncertainty.

That said, I hope there isn't a shortage of nice things to eat if everyone is staying at home and (over) indulging. Would be nice to have a second Christmas, if we have the energy, at home.


Right. Off to bury head in some sand in the absence of the ability to have a stiff drink.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Busybee » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:11 pm

I suspect it will just be the three of us.

It’s my sisters turn to host but we can’t have more than six so that’s a non starter - we are a family of nine.

Whilst we are outside of York so still technically tier 1 I can see us being in tier 2 at least by Christmas.

I have already bought a small Christmas pudding and have bought all the fruit etc for Christmas cakes which I’ll make over the next couple of weeks. It seems a lot of effort to do the whole shebang just for us but on the other hand it’s probably more important this year to make a fuss of what we can do. Our usual Boxing Day trip to the local meet for drinks followed by the panto is off, so if weathers good I’m sure the coast will feature.

Turkey, will I’m sure be on the menu, plus most of the trimmings. I’m just a bit sad that our huge farmhouse kitchen table (seats 14) will look a bit sad with just us three at, one end.

DS is in to cocktails so he will be set the task to get us all merry.

BB

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:18 pm

We may need a Wildies Zoom Christmas dinner!

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Earthmaiden » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:39 pm

The family has got so complicated with current and ex partners that it's impossible to keep up :roll:.

I seem to have started a tradition of a Boxing Day rolling buffet (i.e. the best bits of a Christmas lunch made to be served cold as leftovers with other things including jacket potatoes which are always the thing people want most!) . That suits me fine, it means I get to see anyone who wants to drop in, to cook a bit and escape Christmas Day which I rather like to spend at home in my pyjamas rather than endure the families of offsprings' current partners. DD might come this year but no-one's mentioned anything yet.

This week's Waitrose paper has some interesting looking cocktails. I've never really done cocktails much, they were either not in vogue or too expensive in the days when I went out on the town. Maybe this Christmas ....

Great idea PP - can we wear pyjamas?

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby herbidacious » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:42 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:We may need a Wildies Zoom Christmas dinner!



Good idea!

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:46 pm

I have a very good bottle of port I bought in Portugal 2 years ago
I think I may acquire some Stilton and open it

Will think about the rest nearer the time

The Kelly half turkey might be interesting, I never buy a turkey crown as I like the dark meat best - I don’t understand what happens to the legs removed from quality free range crowns, you can buy turkey legs but they are never the good stuff

A Zoom might be a plan

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby herbidacious » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:59 pm

Mmmm. Stilton!

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Renee » Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:05 pm

I shall be on my own for the very first time in my life, but I don't mind and will cook something special. I shall probably make Jamie's Christmas stock before Christmas and put it in the freezer and will order a Gressingham Bronze Feathered turkey from Booths. I will get a small whole turkey because there are more juices from the turkey. I will make two different types of stuffing, sausagemeat, celery and onion and also one made with bread, onion and thyme. It might sound a lot for one person, but I freeze down portions after the meal, so that I can have more Christmas meals later. I just enjoy the whole preparation thing!

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Earthmaiden » Sat Oct 17, 2020 6:26 pm

That's what I do Renee. Even a turkey crown is much too much for my little Boxing Day buffet but I love to freeze the leftover meat and stock to enjoy later.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Suffs » Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:09 pm

DS may or may not be with us for the day. We’re ordering a shoulder of local lamb and a Gressingham
Duck, both from local farmers. If it’s just the two of us we’ll have the duck on Christmas Day and the lamb later. If DS is with us for the day we’ll have the lamb. We’ll also have a roasted gammon joint in the fridge so we won’t starve and it’ll all be a bit special. :D

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby OneMoreCheekyOne » Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:40 pm

I haven’t a clue how it will go. We are usually a family of 12 with an extra 2-4 who arrive for evening drinks, cheese and games. We also have a large get together on Christmas Eve in the village pub with 20+ of us...obviously none of this will happen!

On Christmas Eve we’ve booked an early dinner in a local restaurant. Father Christmas is making an appearance and there are carols and music. No set menu which we prefer.

Christmas morning we’re planning on smoked salmon and eggs before walking up to the monument on the hill where there’s a brass band and people take champagne. Lots of people go but there’s enough space for people to distance.

Then home for who knows what food! We may dress up or put clean pyjamas on and play with new toys all day, watch movies and eat party food. Or a mini Christmas dinner. I hope we get a decision made early December on what the Christmas rules will be.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:49 pm

Brass bands are currently banned OMCO.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby Amber » Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:46 pm

We would normally be 14+. This year, I fear we may be just two. I’m planning on hitting the M&S Christmas food catalogue. With all the luxuries, and all the alcohol. :o :D :D

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:55 am

I fear it will just be the two of us.
Mind you, my other half is always up for food:
Dog (2).jpg
Dog (2).jpg (34.71 KiB) Viewed 4490 times


Wife & 2nd son still stuck in Spain. The "govt" just extended the airport shutdown to Nov 13th. I really don´t hold out much hope, so I´m stocking up on (a) bones (b) doggie treats (c) wonderful Venezuelan rum (4) single malt and have just discovered TWO wonderful artisan cheese makers, so that´ll be another Xmas "treat".
At least I won´t get snowed under.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby smitch » Sun Oct 18, 2020 9:39 am

We are planning for it to be just the two of us. We normally alternate between the two sets of parents and this year should have been my in-laws.

As neither of us is particularly fussed about a traditional dinner, we are going to have a curry feast washed down with some good beer. I ordered our cheese last night and will get some nice nibbles too.

I’m still going to do my usual Christmas baking and will make up some boxes to deliver to family.

I’ll be sad not to be sharing it with family but on the other hand we’ve never spent the day just the two of us.

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Re: I hate to mention Christmas, but?

Postby herbidacious » Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:08 am

We used to have one to ourselves to the two of every three years in the days when we rotated between parents. We loved it. (We didn't get that many though, as after my father died as my we began to either go to my mother's or she came to us. OH's mother gets the short end of the straw, I suppose, but she does have another son and grandson and lots of friends. Possibly she resents it, though. One year we had both mothers :o They don't really like each other. It was very stressful.)

The nicest one to ourselves was in France. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we'd not had the place that long. We strolled out into our field with glasses of wine. (Can't really go in the field now as we semi-gave it to our neighbour. We still own it but he puts sheep in it. They are very big, very demonic-looking sheep that paw the ground with their hooves, and lower their heads, bull-like, if you go within a few metres.)
We had a massive tree, as we have the height and room :) I made some very fancy mushroom thing with porcini cream. The sun streamed through the windows into our dining room.

At some point we might be able to press the reset button for Christmas. I think another in France would be lovely (even if the weather is more it's typical rainy self.)

I suppose that this year at least we won't be rushing up north the morning after days in the office, so there will be more time to prepare in more a leisurely fashion. My mother says that if we can't go up that's fine - she won't be totally alone - but will go if we can. But it will be an M&S dinner.

All this talk of cheese... I shall order some for us at some point. There is normally a Black Bomber and stilton thing going on through someone at work...

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