ching ching ching!

I love Christmas. Scrap that. I ADORE Christmas. What's not to love? I am totally bound up in the rituals of it all and am currently tracking down the perfect advent calendar for me. (For some lovely advent ideas have a look here). I don't like the chocolate filled ones, they are just not right, neither are the ones with branded characters, cartoons etc. I like a cardboard one with a beautiful festive scene and lovely little illustrations underneath every window, preferably of candy canes, puddings and angels. My all time favourite one was a Woodmansterne one with beautiful angels flying in a night sky. My personal all time low was one Dominic bought me in sheer desperation from a religious book shop, one with a nativity scene. The illustrations were really rubbish (the donkey looked demented) and behind each window was a pointer to a bit of the bible to read. I know Christmas is about Christ, the clue is in the title, but I am not especially religious and like to see it more as a yuletide celebration, a sort of shining beacon in the darkness and chill of deep winter. I realise the fact that my favourite one featured angels is a massive contradiction to what I have just said, but there you go. I am quite a contrary girl. And anges are pretty in a way that demented donkeys and sinister looking magi are not.

Anyway! The best bit of Christmas is of course the food. Food to me sums it all up, its about bounty, sharing, pleasure, decadence and comfort. A Christmas without Christmassy food is not worth considering. I am not one of those people who wants to go abroad somewhere hot for Christmas and eat Thai curry instead of a plump bird with all the trimmings. That would not do at all. I might consider Christmas in a colder-than-ours European country, perhaps somewhere like Sweden or Switzerland, where I am betting they do Christmas really, really well on the culinary front.

There is a little part of my brain permanently dedicated to Christmas food planning, but the planning really starts in earnest about now with the Christmas editions of all the food magazines that I buy.

The picture which opens this post is of my December food magazine file. In a way that is very uncharacteristically organised of me, I do keep my food magazines in files according to the month of the year so they can easily be referenced in future years. The Christmas one is full to the brim and I think I need to either get rid of some of the older ones (like the ones from the 90s maybe!) and make room for the new ones, or start another folder!

One Christmas magazine that I will never get rid of though is this one.

I bought this about 4 years ago, and now I drag it down from the box every year and spend a good hour re reading the wisom of Saint Delia. It is a classic and has some fab recipes in, including one that I have adapted into my own Christmas chutney 9recipe coming soon). I love the way that she says it goes well with 'assertive cheeses'. Everytime I read it I imagine chunks of stilton marching across the table and demanding to be accompanied!

I know people think Delia is perhaps a little dull, and certainly some of her programmes would suggest that a charisma bypass has infact been performed, but for simple, no nonsense and traditional recipes that don't fail, she cannot be beaten. Anyway, she has her wild side as can be seen here when after too many sherrys she gloriously abandoned her bland image and came over all firey - come on Delia!

So, here you have it

this years magazines, a glass of rioja and candlelight. Looks like I am in for a festive evening...

Comments

[ANNIES ABODE]

I love the old fashioned advent calenders and looked forward to getting on each year for my son. Eventually we bought him a musical Christmas tree which had a collection of wooden ornaments which were hidden in the numbered drawers underneath. We do still have it!

Perhaps I should still have one for myself!

I have that Delia Christmas book and like you get it out each year.

I have not been to your blog before and I love your cottage - it's gorgeous.

Your Christmas wishes list is interesting too - I even have some of those on my list (I do like a lot of Boden things but as you say there seems to be very long waiting lists this year) I love the hat! I hope your wishes are granted.

Will be dropping by again,

Ax

[sarah]

nice post, feeling very christmassy. I am just about to go open my Christmas mags for some new inspiration, oh and buy some more for this year!

Sarah

newgreenshoes

[Janice Robertson]

Can't believe that clip of Delia! She's certainly been at the cooking sherry!!! Good on her - it's good to see her not so restrained.

I too have been delving into my food mags trying to come up with a veggie Christmas option for William. Last year I made a puff pasty log type thing filled with quorn mince, juniper berries, red wine and shitake mushrooms with all the usual trimmings of roast and mashed potatoes, honey roast parsnips, brussel, sprouts,carrots,and cranberry and port sauce.

Might do the same thing this year as it went down very well.

Oooo...it's feeling more Christmassy by the minute.

xxx

[lazylol]

I have just bought some christmas mags to browse - I have a delia christmas from two years ago too.

I love old fashioned advent calendars too - I am on the hunt for one!

[Cherry Menlove]

Sarah, I love the soft green tiles around your fire. How pretty. I also have some old, old, magazines I drag out each year, they haven't dated too much yet!

Cherry Menlove

[Sarah]

thank you Cherry. When we bought the house can you believe someone had magnolia painted over them! A bottle of nitromorse later and ta dah!

[vanessa]

Very amusing and entertaining piece of writing about Christmas! I buy hugo an advent calender each year, spending loads of time looking for the right one....... In recent years I've been buying the Oxfam advent calender.