A Very Merry Feast

The following is reproduced with kind permission from aboutfood.co.uk - A locally based web site covering all things epicurial. If this whets your appetite just take a wander over to their web site!

With the last vestiges of late summer sunshine still warm in the memory, Christmas knocks at the door with cheeky haste. So, put away the salad dressing and return the barbecue to its hibernation in the shed, its time for richer pickings.

Now is the time for preparing delicious home-cooked ham. There's nothing more appealing than hewing a thick slice off the bone, a world away from those shiny wet pre-packed slices. Veronica Heath gives tips on how to make your own in Any Excuse to Ham It Up.

While the ham's in the oven, why not try your hand at making your own preserves. Chutneys are the perfect accompaniment for your ham and other cooked meats, and both sweet and savoury preserves make thoughtful gifts. Carol Wilson presents some tempting ideas and recipes in Christmas Preserves.

Now close your eyes and picture the Christmas day table. Is it bulging with plump roasted turkey or goose generously served with fragrant seasonal vegetables, aromatic stuffings and sauces followed by a decadently rich Christmas pudding?

Well, with a little planning it can be achieved, and sawdust turkey, mushy sprouts and burnt roasties avoided. So for all but the most adept Christmas chefs, we thoroughly commend you to read Valerie Kiertzner's A Comprehensive Guide to Christmas Lunch. In fact we recommend you print it out and place it within close proximity to your oven - it may save your bacon rissoles...

So how did this annual consumption of turkey and bread sauce evolve, and what did our ancestors eat at Christmas? Sara Paston-Williams traces the history of Chistmas food in Britain in Traditional British Christmas Fare.

Christmas is a Christian festival celebrated throughout the world, yet many nations have evolved their own unique customs and cuisine associated with it. Sweet and morish christmas cakes, puddings and pastries are enjoyed in many different forms. In Christmas Treats Around the World, Carol Wilson looks at what's baking around the world this month and presents some authentic recipes.

If you're looking for something a little more unusual this Chistmas then take a look at Carol Pastor's Christmas Cooking in which she presents two innovative recipes - a savoury terrine and a christmas pudding ice.


For more seasonal recipes and local food information visit www.aboutfood.co.uk.

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