Word of warning - Jenny Oliver has written us a delicious guest post, so grab a mince pie, pull up a chair and enjoy! And don't forget to enter her fantastic giveaway too after reading.
There’s nothing better than the anticipation of Christmas and, along with all the amazing smells - the pine of the tree, the mulled wine - nothing beats the tastes of the festive season. Combine this with a lovely bit of list making and ta dah, I give you my top ten Christmas foods. There must be so many unique variations of this theme and I’d love to know what Christmas tastes like to you!
So here we go…
- Top of the list has to be the sherry and mince pie for Santa and the carrot for Rudolph. When we were small we’d leave a card out that said, ‘Santa, please sign here…’ In the morning the food would be gone, our stockings would be full and Santa’s shaky signature would adorn the dotted line.
- Mince pies in our house are always tiny with little pastry stars as lids. You can eat them in one gorgeous, sweet mouthful. My job growing up was to stand on a stool by the kitchen counter and cut out the stars.
- I adore those iced white german gingerbread biscuits that appear in the shops every Christmas. From Google I’ve learnt they’re called - Pfeffernusse Lebkuchen. One is just not enough and suddenly, poof, they're all gone.
- For Christmas lunch, Delia Smith’s red cabbage and apple. Try it, you’ll never look back!
- Chocolate Christmas Cake. Ours is three layers deep with chocolate butter icing and is shaped like a little house. My dad doesn’t like fruit cake so it’s always been chocolate.
- On the subject on chocolate… Foil-wrapped chocolate tree decorations. Always irresistible. And always one hiding at the back of the tree when it’s time to take it down. A last minute treat.
- Turkish delight and Medjool dates. Always ignored by us growing up, we could never fathom why anyone would choose them over a Quality Street. Now I love them.
- Party canapés. I’m a sucker for finger food - little Yorkshire puddings, a prawn on a stick or a vol au vent. So moorish and never quite enough to feel like dinner - however many you eat.
- Roasted chestnuts - a bit burnt from being forgotten about in the oven but mouth-burningly delicious all the same.
- The satsuma at the bottom of the stocking. Best eaten with all the chocolate coins.
I wish you very happy Christmas eating! Tweet me (@JenOliverBooks) and Rachel your festive favourites.
Love Jenny x
Four Weddings and a White Christmas is out now: http://amzn.to/1gAICOf
Giveaway to win paperback copy of The Little Christmas Kitchen & The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (Open Internationally)
There’s nothing better than the anticipation of Christmas and, along with all the amazing smells - the pine of the tree, the mulled wine - nothing beats the tastes of the festive season. Combine this with a lovely bit of list making and ta dah, I give you my top ten Christmas foods. There must be so many unique variations of this theme and I’d love to know what Christmas tastes like to you!
So here we go…
- Top of the list has to be the sherry and mince pie for Santa and the carrot for Rudolph. When we were small we’d leave a card out that said, ‘Santa, please sign here…’ In the morning the food would be gone, our stockings would be full and Santa’s shaky signature would adorn the dotted line.- Mince pies in our house are always tiny with little pastry stars as lids. You can eat them in one gorgeous, sweet mouthful. My job growing up was to stand on a stool by the kitchen counter and cut out the stars.
- I adore those iced white german gingerbread biscuits that appear in the shops every Christmas. From Google I’ve learnt they’re called - Pfeffernusse Lebkuchen. One is just not enough and suddenly, poof, they're all gone.
- For Christmas lunch, Delia Smith’s red cabbage and apple. Try it, you’ll never look back!
- On the subject on chocolate… Foil-wrapped chocolate tree decorations. Always irresistible. And always one hiding at the back of the tree when it’s time to take it down. A last minute treat.
- Turkish delight and Medjool dates. Always ignored by us growing up, we could never fathom why anyone would choose them over a Quality Street. Now I love them.
- Party canapés. I’m a sucker for finger food - little Yorkshire puddings, a prawn on a stick or a vol au vent. So moorish and never quite enough to feel like dinner - however many you eat.
- Roasted chestnuts - a bit burnt from being forgotten about in the oven but mouth-burningly delicious all the same.
- The satsuma at the bottom of the stocking. Best eaten with all the chocolate coins.
I wish you very happy Christmas eating! Tweet me (@JenOliverBooks) and Rachel your festive favourites.
Love Jenny x
Four Weddings and a White Christmas is out now: http://amzn.to/1gAICOf
Giveaway to win paperback copy of The Little Christmas Kitchen & The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (Open Internationally)
Jenny Oliver has very kindly offered two lucky winners a copy of one of her previous Christmas books in paperback. The books up for grabs are The Little Christmas Kitchen and The Parisian Christmas Bake Off.
Due to there being two separate prizes of a different book, I have decided to run two separate rafflecopter giveaways, one for each, so you can enter either or both, depending which would you like to read. They are both fantastic so if you haven't had the opportunity to read them before, I would recommend trying your luck.
Due to there being two separate prizes of a different book, I have decided to run two separate rafflecopter giveaways, one for each, so you can enter either or both, depending which would you like to read. They are both fantastic so if you haven't had the opportunity to read them before, I would recommend trying your luck.
Giveaways are open internationally all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/12/2015. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.
About Jenny Oliver
Jenny Oliver wrote her first book on holiday when she was ten years old. Illustrated with cut-out supermodels from her sister’s Vogue, it was an epic, sweeping love story not so loosely based Dynasty.
Since then Jenny has gone on to get an English degree and a job in publishing that’s taught her what it takes to write a novel (without the help of the supermodels). She wrote her first book The Parisian Christmas Bake Off on the beach in a notebook that would end up covered in sand each afternoon and damp from the sea. This time the inspiration was her addiction to macarons, the belief she can cook them and an all-consuming love of Christmas. When the decorations go up in October, that’s fine with her!
Jenny’s books also feature her love of all things vintage, Sunday morning car boot sales (on the hunt for the thrill of a bargain) and an unwavering belief in happy ever after! (Whatever she’s loving on TV might crop up as well!)
So far Jenny’s books The Parisian Christmas Bake Off, The Vintage Summer Wedding and The Little Christmas Kitchen have enjoyed chart positions in the major supermarkets and other fabulous book shops. Most recently she has written a brand new ebook series, all set around the idyllic Cherry Pie Island, that kicks off with The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café and (currently) ends with Four Weddings and a White Christmas! Mouthwatering, feel-good and perfect for curling up with on cold winter days.
Follow her on Twitter @JenOliverBooks or take a look at her blog jennyoliverbooks.com
See all of Jenny's books on Amazon UK
Thank you Jenny for your mouth watering post about Christmas food, and not a turkey in sight! And thank you for the two fabulous prizes you are offering too. It has been a pleasure hosting you.. even if I am now very hungry!
See all of Jenny's books on Amazon UK
Thank you Jenny for your mouth watering post about Christmas food, and not a turkey in sight! And thank you for the two fabulous prizes you are offering too. It has been a pleasure hosting you.. even if I am now very hungry!
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Wow Jenny, Rachel; A sweet treats post, it got me hungry and planning a trip to the bakery. Another awesomesauce post Rachel.
ReplyDeleteGreat reads
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