This week has been recipe and table linen week in the 3rd installment of the Christmas Diary.
The Food
Roast potatoes, parsnips and all the vegetables are easily taken care of (with a little help from an old secret recipe from my mum and nan). Yorkshire puddings… not traditional with a Roast Christmas Dinner but I’m going the whole hog. I’ve tried a dozen or more pudding recipes. Shelley at work swears by an equal cup of everything (flour, milk and eggs) but that’s always a bit thick and not as airy as I like my Yorkies so I’m opting for a recipe from Jamie Oliver himself; one cup, one cup, one egg. This makes lovely sized puds, which are nice and crispy, with a bit of dough for soaking up that last bit of gravy.
I’ve never cooked a Turkey. I’ve had no reason to, and everyone at home and work has been giving me their ‘tips’. Advice ranges from cook upside down for half the time, to, don’t cover with foil, from, cover with foil, to, don’t cook upside down, from, cook it slow, to, cover with bacon and so on. So of course I’ve ignored all of them and phoned my mum. Dads are for DIY and mums are for cooking in our house! After looking online, one site in particular has been a good valuable resource – it’s the ‘I love British Turkey website’. It is full of information, tips, recipes and advice. I need to cook my Turkey the day before (Christmas Eve) or on the morning of Christmas day, as I have an average sized oven, and a 10lb/4.5kg Turkey won’t cook in time with all the veg, unless I cook beforehand…. so my mum said to slice it, place in a large glass dish and cover with a lid of gravy and seal with foil. After reading the aforementioned website I’m completely on board with this idea, so thanks to mum and I love British Turkey for this great tip!
The Table & Linen
As described in the last installment of my Christmas Diary, I’ve opted for a blue, white and silver themed table settings. So with this in mind I started looking for table linen to match my Allium placemats and coasters. Where better to start than our very own Roman at Home Christmas Shop. Even though I love the Christmas Tree Silver Table Linen, I wanted to get something that could work all year round. So after a good look round our showroom and on our website, I opted for our lovely White Rosette Table Cloth with silver detail studded into the design. But to add that bit of sparkle, I’ve teamed it with our lush long Silver Shimmer Table Runner. They both match perfectly with my Allium Placemats and Coasters and work well within my wintery theme.
However, finding the right centre-piece isn’t as easy, so I made my own. If you have a dish the right size for your table, a few wrapping bows and a couple of baubles left over and a nice Christmas tree candle (I got mine from ASDA) you can easily ‘knock-up’ your own centre-piece.
And lest not forget the crackers! I wanted silver or white crackers with a nice floral or snowflake design (not asking for much am I?) and I found a perfect set down the high-street. To finish off the table, I handmade my own place setting ‘tags’ which I tied to the crackers for my ‘Trial Run’.
….The Trial Run!
Since I’ve never done a Christmas dinner before and only a handful of Sunday roasts, I decided to have my best friend and her partner round on Sunday for a trial run…. which didn’t quite go to plan. I ended up having to cook two chickens, forgetting napkins, and the entire table settings being ruined by one very inquisitive cat. Visit back later in the week for the whole story!
