Christmas Feasts

Christmas is the highlight of my culinary year. There is the planning & preparation, the cooking and eating and then the delight of left overs. One of the best things is that it is the same every year - family rituals to be enjoyed year after year, creating lasting memories. Our children didn't always like the Christmas food but they came to rely on the familiarity. And it is really easy if you always know what you are going to do - with a few twists & variations. I am very much a traditionalist.

In the week before the Christmas gingerbread is made and iced. This is usually a young persons' activity and we get teenagers who come especially for this activity. Then the Christmas cake is iced & decorated. I have had these decorations for a few years now and am very fond of them.

On Christmas Eve I do as much preparation as possible so that I have very little to do on the day other than eat & drink & relax with our guests & family. Our Christmas menu is the turkey with a sage & onion stuffing, and a nut roast for the vegetarians. This has been much maligned in magazines but my nut roast is much admired by non-vegetarians as well. I do a Christmas gravy using the giblets stock with the addition of a slug of scotch & cream.

For veg we have settled for roasted potato & kumara with baby carrots, capsicum & shallots plus peas & feta and grilled asparagus. This provides something for everyone and is very little effort. This year we dug our own potatoes. Boil new potatoes in their skins and prepare the other vegetables. Toss in olive oil and roast in a pan with some rosemary for 40 minutes to an hour. Boil some peas & crumble over feta. Grill asparagus & drizzle over lemon-infused olive oil.

Peter always does a summer pudding for afters. Lighter than a traditional pudding but retaining the traditional shape and using seasonal fruit.

And this year Mandy made the best ever crackers with personalised hats.

The traditional Boxing Day dinner is a Nigella salad we have been having for about 5 years now. It's a kind of Christmas Cole Slaw - red, green & white. This year served in the perfect bowl which was a Christmas gift.

In a very large bowl, mix together 2 red chillies, seeded & finely chopped; 1 clove of garlic minced; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 3 tsp rice wine vinegar; juice of a lime & 3 tbsp fish sauce and 3 tbsp vegetable oil then add 1 finely sliced red onion & some black pepper & steep about 15 minutes. Add your shredded turkey - about 500g - and steep another 15 minutes. Add half a chopped red cabbage & some sliced radishes. Last, mix through some coriander or flat-leaf parsley.

Our boxing day pudding is often a small Christmas pudding topped with Ginger Wine ice cream. I found this recipe on one of may father's tea towels & made it for him one year. It has been a firm favourite ever since not least because the ice cream doesn't ice up - the alcohol keeps it ice free. It works beautifully with the hot spicy pudding.

Combine 3 egg yolks with 1/2 tbsp water, 1 1/2 oz sugar & 3 fl oz Green ginger wine in a bowl and beat over boiling water until thick and foamy. Remove from the heat and keep beating until cool. Chill. Whip 5 fl oz cream and fold in. Pack and freeze.

Serve with hot Christmas pudding that has been flamed for the enjoyment of your guests

Then it's time to think of interesting things to do with ham.