[compostqueen]

I'm with Surbie!  I got a jar of mincemeat too. Mine has port in it.  Wahay, party on down😊

I am keeping it low key and planning on going to the away match on boxing day  8

[RJR_38]

I have to admit to feeling a sense of loss at Winterval because I no longer have children to make all the festive baking and crafts. Looking forward to doing it with Louisa when she is old enough. But I will have to be patient.

The apple and chestnut recipe was in this years Good Housekeeping Winterval book, but in all honesty I wouldn't use it again it was rather a nothing recipe and I had to fiddle with it to make it taste a lot more zippy. And it had breadcrumbs.

If I were you and needed a gluten free recipe I would invent one. I would start with a couple of pound of my butchers gluten free bratwurst or Toulouse, and then add a large onion, chopped and fried and cooled. A large bramley apple, chopped fairly small and tossed in lemon juice to prevent discolouring.  Then use anything between 8oz to 1lb of frozen chestnuts which you simmer in chicken stock until cooked, then chop roughly. Or use the merchant gourmet ready cooked, vacuum packed ones.  And then add a goodly amount of chopped fresh sage and parsley.

Season and then fry a tiny amount and taste to check your seasoning. Then freeze.

I always try a couple of new stuffing recipes every year and usually find that the ones I invent myself are favourites.

I use a wild boar and fruit sausage as a base and add onion, sage and cranberries which is popular.

Thank you so much for this Mrs Bee - I wouldn't have even known where to start with making up my own stuffing recipe (we were brought up on Paxo, just add hot water stuffing)

[tosca100]

We love it here, really low key and non-commercial, but everyone genuinely wishing others well. I made mincemeat as the neighbours can't get enough of mince pies, they all have a mini cake and I've made one for us and any visitors and one for my sister and BIL who have just bought a house here. No pressies, just cards for the family and neighbours to make. Might join forces with my sister to make a meal but only if she promises not to go mad (not looking hopeful at the moment!) and will be mostly home grown apart from the meat (though there are threats towards one of the fowl)

Cheesecake for the men and trifle for the girls. Made the day before. Home grown fruit and cheese

[New shoot]

Sounds fantastic Tosca   

I've calmed down a bit and decided I'm not going to make a chore of it all either.   As neither of us eat a lot of sweet stuff, there won't be a lot of baking going on, but OH has requested a pork pie. Easy enough to do, but time consuming    I may make the filling and stock for the jelly in advance and freeze them, ready for assembly nearer the time 

[Christine]

Not being an add alcohol person I can get away with making the pudding a couple of weeks before the day and the cake likewise. If invited to the local kids I make a vegan chocolate torte for them as don't like dried fruit in any shape or form. That's done the day before. But with vegetarians and vegans in the family there's none of the panic with large joints. So much less of a hassle than farmhouse days as a kid when mother seemed to start at the start of November and end up after Hogmanay (step family Scots). It's never that much fun if it's labour intensive. Well not in my book as I'm no cook if I can help it.

[chrissie B]

Havent done much myself except my mincemeat, crimbo cake today delias Caribbean cake , some smoked paprika and tomatoe chutney , gooseberry chutney .
well done mrs bee

[Eblana]

Christmas cake and puddings done.  Starting on the house cleaning tomorrow.

[wighty]

Got most of the 'nuts and nibbles' and a couple of starters that I always buy in  August as the price shoots up at this time of the year, also got some of the dry ingredients  that I may need, if not will use during the year.

[Fairy Plotmother]

Son in law made Christmas pudding on Sunday and I managed to make the cake today. I have usually done it by the end of October....but life overtook me! Suddenly realised I haven't got my advent wreath ready for Sunday!

[chrissie B]

I make mine then as well but i did a different cake and its quite a moist one so i left it to this week instead .
chrissie b

[Mrs Bee]

Most of the  decorations up apart from the tree and the greenery and candles decorations for the tables and they aren't done until the weekend of the 15th.

I am also reeling from the shock!!!!!! Mr Bee put all the garlands and the fibre optic tree up without getting cross and shouting at me.

Mind you, I hadn't cooked his tea when he was putting them up. Suppose I had better get on with it now.

[chrissie B]

Hoping for a quiet one here we like to relax after the dished is done jim jams , fluffy slippers bit of telly i. Happy ive actually got myself a bottle of advoccat to make my snowball , i havent had one in years the way my aunty would make them , advoccat,  lemonade and a big dollop of ice cream its so good she would make them for me when i was a kid wish i had some lemonade .chrissie b

[Mrs Bee]

That sounds like my Boxing day, Chrissie. Always my favourite day. Every thing is done and dusted plenty of food for everyone to help themselves and I get to relax. Often stay in my nightie all day.

Don't do the Advocat though. Mine is an Irish coffee done with Amaretto.

[compostqueen]

Made the braised red cabbage today using a fabulous red cabbage from the plot yesterday, along with my home grown onions, garlic and cooking apples    kitchen smelled fab

My Dec's don't go up til the 24th Dec 

[mjg000]

Mine on the 20th....