S is for Smears

I really like my table to look nice.  I've often put a lot of effort into getting a bunch of people around the table at once, have planned and cooked a meal and would now like to enjoy it with my guests.

But then, as I look at the table, I notice the glasses.  Despite going through the dishwasher, some of them still bear the smears of parties past.

Easiest way to remove these is to fill an ice bucket or a large jug with boiling water and take it to the table (so when the glass is cleaned it's not going to have to be handled again, get greasy finger marks).

Making sure the hot water container is not going to mark any surface (I put mine on the seat of a dining chair), and hold the glass by the stem upside down over the water.  The steam helps lift any smears when wiped with a glass cloth.  This also works for cutlery.

S is for Sales and Stockings

We all overspend at Christmas.  By the time you add everything up, it's quite frightening how much is spent. In fact, it's estimated that one in three Brits go into debt.  And tomorrow is known as Blue Monday as this is when December credit card bills hit the mat.

But it's really difficult to cut down the spending.  How do you tell the kids that there's no money for all those extras such as crackers on the table?  Do you resort to sending out emails instead of Christmas cards?  It's not exactly festive.

And making your own presents sounds great but when it comes to December and you're trying to juggle everyday life, work and planning, ideals go out the window and panic buying sets in.

To help me keep control of the cash outlay, I buy stuff in the January sales.  While I have to store it for 11 months, if I order things online and keep it in the stout boxes in which it's sent, they can go out of the way in the loft for much later in the year.

Saving up to 70%, I stock up on generic stocking fillers, cards and crackers as all these keep easily and don't take up too much space.  This year, my (adult) base stocking fillers include:

• Small luxury (scented) candles
• Themed cookie cutters
• Festive tea towels
• Wind up toys
• Santa stationary
• Glitzy coasters
• Earphone holders
• Bottle openers
• (Eye) Glasses cleaning cloths
• Packs of socks
• Folding shopping bags
• Key chains
• Tree baubles
• Wine foils
• Retro travel games

Kids get little plastic toys and chocolate (bought nearer the time), as well as the wind-up toys and stationary.

I will then buy an item that is very specific to the recipient and, as per the tradition in my family, I add a net of chocolate coins, a satsuma and a walnut.  Stockings done!

P is for Packing Up

The twelve days of Christmas finished yesterday and all my decorations are now on the dining room table to be packed away.

I do this for two reasons:

1. It enables me to clean everything thoroughly before I put it away and make sure that everything goes into the box in working order (broken threads restrung, replacement fairy light bulbs fitted etc.); and 
2. I can pack everything much more efficiently so my decorations take up less storage space for the rest of the year.

It also means that if I have replace anything beyond repair I can save money doing so in the January sales!

Happy packing.

N is for New Year

Phew!

Christmas is done! So happy.  Eaten far too much (as usual) and had much fun and many laughs.

Today is a furious day of activity as we have one set of guests leaving and the next couple of days will see the next set descending.  I love it!

And I'm turning my sights towards New Year's Eve.

So I'm digging out my various clocks from around the house to dot around the dining room, and printing Auld Lang Syne sheet music as the backing for A5 menu cards that are placed on people's places to keep everyone to my seating plan.

Am also dusting off the board games in case there's any time between the meal and midnight when we mark the occasion with fireworks in the garden, wave around sparklers and toast each other with champagne around the patio heater.

And the menu's designed to auger in the brand new year and is broken down into more courses than usual to keep it relaxed and keep people at the table as long as possible.  This year sees:

• Chicken Liver Mousse
• Stilton Pâté
• Crostini (bought or made in advance)

• Roast Leg of Lamb
• Potatoes Boulangère (with finely sliced fennel added)
• Mixed Greens (Kale, savoy cabbage, de-skinned broad beans, peas)

• Lemon Bars with thick double cream quenelles

• Cheese course (Brie, Comté and Stilton with grapes and crackers)
• Petits Fours (bought in) 

The lovely thing about ALL these dishes is that I can prep them all in advance and they don't take much stove time on the night so I can enjoy being with guests.  Depending on how energetic I feel I can make OR buy in the stuff. This is why the menu includes the chicken liver mousse, the crostini and the Petits Fours.

Last, but not least, I'm just need to print off my quiz which I use before the meal to get everyone's brains into gear after sofa slobbing so much in the last few days and kick off the table conversations.  Fingers crossed that no-one reads this before I hand it out on the 31st!

H is for Ham

If there is anything you do because you've read this blog, this should be top of your list.

This for me is a life saver over the festive period.  

It provides for continental breakfasts, sandwiches for my ever-hungry step-sons, chunks for pea and ham soup, and even a dinner when it first comes out of the oven.  And if I do have any left (and this is unusual) then I slice up the remaining joint into really thick slices and freeze it between layers of greaseproof paper to use as needed.

Gather:

• The largest joint of unsmoked gammon that will fit in your biggest pan
• 1 large bottle of full sugar cola (no need for a brand)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 1 carrot, scrubbed and snapped into two
• 1 stick of celery, cleaned and snapped into two

• 150gms packed light brown sugar
• 2 tblspns English mustard
• 2 tblspns whisky / bourbon / orange juice

Then...

1. Put the ham (still in its net) in a pan and cover it with cold water.  If it doesn't quite then it's fine
2. Bring to the boil on the stovetop
3. Once it's boiled, drain off the water and make sure that there is no remaining puffy scum left on the ham or in the pan
4. Replace in the pan and if necessary pack out with the onion, celery and carrot.  If they don't fit in the pan, it's not a problem
5. Pour over the cola to cover the joint* and bring the pan to the boil again
6. Once it's boiled, turn down the temperature to have the liquid simmering as gently as possible
7. Leave to simmer for 40 mins per kilo MINUS 35 mins. You may need to top up the cola every now and then.  If you run out of cola, water is fine
8. In the meantime, line a baking tray with multiple layers of tinfoil so it doesn't tear (this is important)
9. At the end of the simmering time, heat up your oven to 240°C
10. Take the ham off the stove and leave to cool for 10 mins so as to be able to remove the net, the rind and most of fat**
11. Skewer the ham through the middle in a cross using two BBQ skewers otherwise the ham will unfold during the oven time.
12. Mix the sugar, liquid and mustard together until it is completely smooth and there are no lumps in the sugar (otherwise these will burn and cause unsightly black spots on the outsife)
13. Put the ham carefully into your lined tin (taking care not to tear the foil with the skewers), rind side up and score into a diamond pattern / stud with cloves as desired (I never bother)
14. Spoon over the glaze making sure all the outer surfaces are coated
15. Put the ham in the oven for 35 mins
16. Take out and leave to cool^ before moving the ham onto a carving plate and pulling out the skewers
17. Fold up the tin foil around the now black/burned sticky glaze in the bottom, bringing the edges together to form a tight parcel that won't see any of the glaze leak out. Lining the tin means no washing up...and trust me...trying to get off that burned glaze is quite a task
18. Once cool, you can leave the ham in the fridge covered with a foil tent for up to 10 days, carving slices/chunks off as needed.

* If your ham is taller than your pan then rotate the ham while it's simmering to ensure the ham cooks throughout
** It's at this point that you can decorate your ham with diamond scoring and cloves. As ours is used for breakfast, I don't bother, but it's up to you...

^ As I'm bringing it out the oven and if we've done this when guests are arriving the next day, I'll often carve off a couple of generous slices and serve with Mac'N'Cheese or a poached egg and chips for an easy supper ahead of the chaos.

D is for Decorate

Each year sees me expand my collection of Christmas decorations.

This is partly because each year I want something different, something new to greet guests.  But also because I am really quite the shopaholic.

But I do try to buy quality items though that will last as I recognize that I will (a) run out of space to store all these decorations at some point...probably quite soon...and (b) my husband will run out of patience with me...almost definitely sooner.

This year's purchases include:

These darling little birds from Frolic & Cheer courtesy of NotontheHighStreet.com, which I will clip onto the tree with all my other little birds.

These metallic glass pine cones from M&S, which I bought in store as their online service is pants.

And these apothecary jars via Etsy which I will fill with sweets, brightly coloured baubles and the trinkets from Christmas Crackers past that otherwise clutter up cutlery drawers, bedroom drawers, random places around the house etc. 

Did you buy anything new?

S is for Sinterklaas

Tonight and tomorrow will see the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas or the Festival of St Nicolas.  He's seen as being the original Santa Claus. although today the Dutch celebrate the 5th and 25th.

Boating it over from Spain with at least one servant, Zwarte Piet, in tow, to arrive by mid November, it's not until the 5th December that he fills the shoes of little children (who will have strategically left them outside their bedroom door as they go to bed) with sweets and small presents.

And the adults aren't forgotten either.  Colleagues, family and friends often give each other big chocolate letters of the first letter of their first name.

And there are always plenty of Kruidnoten (small, round gingerbread-nut cookies) around to snack on.

What a nice tradition for us to copy!

B is for Black Candles

During my recent Halloween Party, I had some black candles burning on the table.  And they just seemed to disappear as you looked across the table.

I thought it was the spirits (both types) playing tricks on my eyes.  But no...apparently not!

In a recent article (which now typically I cannot find), the homeowner of a New York house designed by Markham Roberts agreed with me.  But even without his commendation, I'm definitely using them again.

T is for Tulips

Ever keen to get ahead, now is the time that you need to think whether you want tulips on your table in Spring!  Unlike most spring bulbs, tulips should be planted now (after a few frosts) as the cold kills off any tulip blight in the soil.

I buy loads and so tend to buy them from J Parkers Wholesale, but if the bulb numbers freak you out then you can just buy from their regular site. There are also some extremely pretty and unusual varieties from Sarah Raven, but they are relatively expensive.

My soil is mostly claggy clay, so I dig a trench about 10"/25cm deep, and cover the base with a couple of inches of rinsed sharp sand.  If you have sandy / well draining soil then you can skip this step and dig to 8"/20cm deep.

This is relatively deep, but by doing so you (a) can plant summer annuals over them when they finish flowering (b) the flowers don't flop over and (c) they flower year-after-year as they don't develop 'daughters' i.e. side bulbs that will stop the bulb flowing that year.


I then place the tulip bulbs pointy-end up, about 3"/8cm apart and backfill with soil. Once you've covered up the bulbs with a layer of soil, you can always add in a second layer of bulbs. This works well if you've got both early and late flowering varieties as once the first lot fade, the others start to bloom. Note that the later flowering ones will be the ones that you plant first and deepest.

Tulips work well in pots and here to get the displays you see around in garden centers, at stately homes or on the telly, layer lots to create a bulb lasagna, where the pasta is a 2"/5cm blanket of soil and grit. Again the latest flowering bulbs go in deepest although you have to also make sure that the larger ones go in sooner to ensure they have enough soil, then plant the earliest and smaller ones at the top. Obviously the more multiple levels of bulbs you plant then the more space around the bottom ones is needed so they can come through.

P is for Planning

There are 48 days to Christmas and while this may be to many a ridiculously long time ahead to start prepping for the festive season, experience has taught me that it's worth getting ahead a little so that December won't be too manic.

So this is what I'm doing this month (across the whole of it):

• Set a budget; work out what you can afford to spend on presents, as well as food and drink
• Start a master gift list
• Draw up a Christmas card list, ensure you have enough cards and postage stamps
• Buy any extra cards and postage stamps needed
• Ensure you have everyone's (postal) addresses up-to-date
• Get out the emulsion and paintbrush and touch-up any areas that have suffered over the year e.g. banisters, around the front door etc.
• Plan the holiday menu; and set out an ingredient list
• Try out any new recipes.  They may sound delicious on paper but be far too stodgy in reality
• Go through your cupboards, freezer and pantry and make a list of what you need. Check cans and spices for sell-by dates; ditch any that are over the date by more than a couple of months
• Make and bake the cake 
• Make and steam the pudding
• Draft a Christmas letter if sending
• Begin shopping for gifts, collating gifts from suppliers where possible to save on P&P
• Feed the cake with brandy by making holes over the cake with a large needle and (using a pastry brush) brushing the top and sides with the alcohol
• Write your cards, stuff them in the envelops (but leave unsealed at this stage)

There...that wasn't too much...was it!?!