13 minute read
Food & Drink
Heather’s make-ahead Christmas side dishes
We all know that you can be overwhelmed with jobs at Christmas, especially if it’s your turn to host friends and loved ones. There are many lovely products on our supermarket shelves that can help take some of the burden. But if you fancy trying your hand at perhaps just one thing homemade this Christmas, I’m sharing four side dishes that are simple to make and can all be made in advance to help bring that little extra – stress-free – to your Christmas table. Heather x
PS - you can see all of last year’s Christmas baking recipes here, and don’t forget my foolproof Christmas Cake recipe - it reliably gives that delicious deep Christmassy flavour whether you make it two months or two days before Christmas. You can find more of my Christmas recipes here, including my famous mincemeat, the easiest sausage rolls to impress and the super-Christmassy star-topped jammy biscuits.
Roasted Brussels sprouts
‘I’m not sure any Brussels sprout recipe will entirely convince me that they are a delicious vegetable, but this at least makes them edible (to me) – the actual sprout lovers in the house devour this dish!’ Ingredients
• Fresh Brussels sprouts • Good quality olive oil • Salt • Balsamic vinegar
Method
• Preheat the oven to Gas 6/180º fan. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. • Wash the Brussels sprouts, cut off the bottoms, remove the outer one or two layers of leaves and slice in half from top to bottom. • Place the Brussels sprouts onto the baking tray and generously drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Give the Brussels sprouts a good rub with the olive oil to make sure they are coated but make sure they finish up with their cut sides face down on the tray. • Bake in the oven for 17-25 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown. You can then drizzle them with a little balsamic vinegar. • To spice them up further, you can also add crispy bacon bits or parmesan cheese. You can also sprinkle finely grated parmesan cheese onto the tray while it is baking for an even crispier Brussels sprout.
To make ahead …
Roast the Brussels and then once cooled (and before any of the extra flavours), place in an air tight container in the fridge. To refresh, place on a baking tray with a light sprinkle of olive oil and pop in the oven to reheat for five minutes. Then drizzle with extra flavours (like balsamic etc). If you wanted to add Parmesan, roast the Brussel sprouts plain and then when reheating, sprinkle with grated parmesan and cook in the oven until the cheese has melted.
Slow red cabbage
Ingredients
• 1 red cabbage • 2 onions • 3 Bramley apples • juice of 2 oranges • 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Method
• 5 tbsp dark brown sugar • 25ml sherry vinegar • 50ml port • 2 tbsp butter
• Shred the red cabbage and onion and place into a slow cooker, or a casserole dish for a slow oven. Peel the apples and grate them into the mixture. Then add in everything else and give it a good stir together. • Leave to cook on low for four to five hours, stirring occasionally. • This serves at least eight people but will also freeze happily for up to three months, so it’s perfect to make in a big batch and then keep some for another meal.
Croissant bread sauce
‘My personal favourite – the croissants really elevate what is basically bread and milk to a decadent and luxurious sauce for your turkey (plus it uses up any stale croissants that you may have lying around from a festive brunch. Win-win!) Ingredients
• 500ml milk • 3-4 croissants (stale is fine!) • 1 white onion, roughly chopped • 1/2 tsp thyme • 1/4 tsp ground cloves • salt and pepper • 50ml cream
Method
• In a saucepan, place the milk, thyme, onion, ground cloves, salt and plenty of black pepper (either whole peppercorns or freshly ground). • Place on a medium heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from the heat and leave for 15 to 30 minutes so that the flavours infuse into the milk. • Strain the milk into a fresh bowl. • In a food processor, blitz the croissants until they are crumbs and stir these into the milk. • You can make this the day before and leave in the fridge at this stage. • To serve, gently reheat the mixture in a saucepan on a low heat. Add some cream to loosen the sauce as it may have thickened as it cooled. • Give it a taste and add some salt if it needs it. You can also add a small squeeze of lemon to ‘brighten’ the taste at this stage.
Homemade cranberry sauce
‘Once you’ve tasted your own, I promise you’ll never go back to the jarred stuff. It’s ridiculously easy, and tastes SO good!’ Ingredients
• 100g brown sugar • Juice of roughly three oranges, you need 100ml • 400g cranberries (fresh or frozen) • pinch of salt • Glug of sherry
Method
• Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir together. You can also add the zest of the oranges if you wish. Turn onto a high heat and leave to come to a boil, stirring occasionally to melt the sugar into the rest of the ingredients. • Allow the sauce to boil, enough to reduce slightly. The cranberries will begin to lose their shape and soften (after about 7-8 minutes if using frozen berries, less if fresh). • Take off the heat and leave to cool. Don’t worry if the mixture looks runny, it will thicken as it cools. • The sauce will keep for up to a week, just place in a lidded container in the fridge.
Eat, drink & be merry with Dorset Food and Drink
Dorset is known as a natural larder, from meat to dairy and veg to cakes. Caz Richards of Dorset Food & Drink suggests some seasonal favourites
Unless you’re the most organised person on the planet and have done your Christmas shopping by Hallowe’en – the sudden realisation that we are only a few weeks from Christmas Day can send us into a spin. It’s OK. Relax. We’ve got a holly jolly basket full of local Dorset loveliness that won’t break the bank and if we choose to buy Christmas gifts and groceries from local makers, producers and retailers, we can all make a genuinely big difference to our small businesses and independents. Whether it’s local cheese, funky craft ales, free-from sweet treats, chocolate, wine or something made by talented artisans – there’s plenty to choose from in Dorset, and you can shop small or large depending on your budget. It’s a great way to support your local producers, many of whom have won multiple national awards for their products! Keep it local, and get to know the people who make, bake, brew, cook, sew, grow, craft and create beautiful things.
Goulds of Dorchester
Did you know that Goulds of Dorchester now has a rather good farm shop loaded with Dorset products and local food? A visit would not only be a great choice for your festive table, but also perfect for sourcing if you fancy putting together an amuse bouche of tasty local treats as gifts for friends and loved ones.
Don’t forget the extras
Our top pick for Christmas condiments takes us to the far east via Dorset! Spice up your festive faves with a contemporary twist from The Wasabi Company – the only grower of fresh wasabi in the UK, with farms in Hampshire and Dorset. Try the Yuzu mustard – delicious with mini roast beef yorkie canapes. For a festive tipple, try the amazing Yuzucello; whole yuzu fruits from Kōchi distilled into The Wasabi Company’s take on the classic Limoncello. Cheers! Warm winter wishes from everyone at Dorset Food & Drink. x
Gluten-free Cherry & Pecan Pudding from Christine’s Puddings The Wasabi Company’s take on the classic Limoncello
P.S. Don’t forget to use up all your festive leftovers. There are lots of ideas at Love Food Hate Waste!
Eat, drink and be merry - how to pair your wines this Christmas
Expert Sadie Wilkins has put together some top tips to help your tipples tantalise the tastebuds around your table this Christmas
Let’s begin with bubbles and get things started with a sparkle. Although a very welcoming aperitif, a glass (or two) of fizz can absolutely sing with a smoked salmon starter – opt for a bottle with a little more flavour, so it can handle the cured character of the fish, a blancs de blancs Champagne is a favourite. Made with 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes, its high acidity handles the saltiness of the smoked salmon perfectly – same goes for oysters! Of course, fizz doesn’t need to finish at the beginning of proceedings, and there’s a very special reservation for a glass of prosecco with a slice of traditional panettone – it’s the merrier version of a cuppa and cake, with the fruitier notes from the Italian sparkling wine pairing beautifully with the dried fruits tucked inside the sweet cake.
Among all the rich indulgence of the holiday, it’s nice to serve up a lighter fish dish for a refreshing respite. The classic pairing for a lightly grilled or baked fish would be a crisp chablis, but if you look to other French whites, you’ll find a couple of pairings that will last you a lifetime.
Catch of Christmas Day
The first is the magnificent Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, a wine made from the lesser-known Melon de Bourgogne grape in the west side of the Loire – it’s light and crisp, and has delicious, zippy notes of citrus that work in harmony with the salinity of the fish. Saltiness in food really sings when drunk alongside a wine with real acidity. Alternatively, pour a Picpoul de Pinet for your guests, one of the oldest grapes of the Languedoc. With its alluring, delicate notes of acacia, citrus, pear and honey blossom, it positively charms fish dishes with its well-structured acidity that is freshly balanced on the palate.
The Main Event
A traditional turkey is more gamey than its pal, the humble chicken, and it needs a wine that has some real structure to it. A traditional choice would be Rhône red such as a rustic Chateauneuf du Pape. But if you are looking to make a more interesting white wine choice that isn’t a buttery, oak aged Chardonnay from either Burgundy or the new world, then a barrel-aged Hungarian Dry Furmint from Tokaji makes for a stunning selection. It’s fruity yet robust, has a lively acidity yet a round body, with luscious, silky – almost creamy – notes from its time spent in oak. In short, gamey birds do well with complex layers in the glass – also bearing in mind that your turkey will most likely have other robust flavours beside it on the plate, such as cranberry sauce or
The BV magazine, December ‘22 by Sadie Wilkins, Indie Wine Merchant chestnut stuffing. All things are wonderful in moderation, and we all enjoy the richness of Christmas dishes. Indulgent meals cry out for big and bold wines to meet them head on – it’s good to remember this when the Boxing Day curries, or various goose fat potatoes make an appearance over the festive period.
Sweet Treats
Pudding wines are still underrated, even though they are one of life’s greatest pleasures. When dealing with the sweeter end of the spectrum, there is one key principle: ensure that the wine is sweeter than the dessert. Otherwise, it will all be a bit ... flabby. Though when it comes to the timeless tradition of a Christmas pud with its dense, winter-spiced dried fruit and sticky consistency, we find that a marriage made in heaven is found with a sherry – of the Pedro Ximenez (PX) variety to be precise. A good PX mirrors the flavours on the palate, in the glass – it’s almost a pudding in itself! If you want a lighter dessert with all the flavours of Christmas, a good glug of PX Sherry over some vanilla ice cream is fantastic, and a great alternative to the usual affogato, which does the same with coffee.
A well-deserved toast!
All that’s left to do is raise a glass to each other and the year that we’ve just come through. It seems like it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for everyone. Pop in and see us in Sherborne (9 Old Yarn Mills, DT9 3RQ) and we’ll help you source some of these delicious wines. We earned our Harpers Wine ‘Best Indie Wine Merchant of the South West 2021’ award and overall ‘No.5 in the whole of the UK’ for a reason! Sadie & Hannah
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As the Love Local, Trust Local Awards closes, founder Barbara Cossins is excited that the serious business of judging has begun
Heading out to judge the entries is one of the best parts of running an award. As you can imagine, tasting and sampling all the delicious Dorset creations from our food and drink producers is a total pleasure. And it’s at this time of year that the Love Local Trust Local judges head off to the four corners of Dorset to do just that. One team has been visiting the new farm shops category, for which there is stiff competition. Lots of inspiring and innovative ideas for small, independent businesses that are offering something more special than your local supermarket. Then there’s the hospitality category, another new one for 2022. The judging team have already been out to visit Les Enfants Terribles and Black Cat Catering, both seriously impressive entries. Here at Love Local we are all about telling the amazing stories behind our local food and drink producers, promoting their businesses, and helping spread the word about Dorset’s produce in these very challenging times. There’s lots of exciting things coming in 2023! Over the next few weeks, we will be out seeing every single one of our entrants in person and then gathering up our thoughts to shortlist the finalists for February.
Awards night!
Whilst we’re talking awards night – put Thursday, 9th February 2023 into your diary. It’s the night of fine frocks and celebrations at the Love Local Trust Local Award Ceremony, which this year will be hosted at Kingston Maurward College. A night NOT to be missed! We would also like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy Christmas – let’s hope 2023 will be a great year!
LLTL founder Barbara Cossins LLTL judges in action
