Here in the Bubbles office we’ve been having much debate on the perfect Christmas dinner…after all, it is only two weeks until the big day. It appears that when it comes to Christmas food our eyes are certainly bigger than our stomach! Did you know that here in the UK we collectively spend £1.6 billion on food and drink for the festive season. Unfortunately we can’t all be as skilled as Nigella, Delia or Jamie in the kitchen, which is why my advice is to start planning now to avoid a meltdown!
In fact why not consider something a little different on the table this year as there are a varied range of culinary Christmas delights that’ll be sure to get your guests’ tongues wagging!
First stop Germany and it’s not just sausages that are on the menu! The Germans have perfected their Christmas Dinner down to the finest details and I can see why. One of the most famous pastry delicacies has to be the Dresdner Stollen — a unique fruitcake made from a tasty selection of fruit and nuts. I definitely wouldn’t mind taking a massive bite out of that on Christmas Day!
Another traditional bit of cuisine that has caught my eye is the Swedish Smorgasbord or Julbord as it’s known at Christmas. A mouth-watering array of meats and fish, including salmon, herring, whitefish, small meatballs, cheeses, sausages, potato, soft and crisp bread, butter and beetroot salad, cabbage (red, brown or green) and rice pudding. Sounds right up my street!
Finally my favourite of all has to be the French Christmas affair. It is without a doubt one of the most elaborate and luxurious, with a variety of dishes that anyone would hope to experience at Christmas time. Therefore it’s difficult to pinpoint which one dish is an ultimate favourite of mine because each one has its own appeal. The French Christmas dinner usually consists of smoked salmon blinis with champagne for the aperitif. Oysters are also traditionally served alongside some sort of poultry or game for the mains, finishing off with a cheese board that would delight any cheese fanatic.
When I sit back and really take a look at the variety of food available at Christmas, it makes me wonder why us Brits don’t branch out more and explore the world foods. But whichever way you choose to celebrate Christmas 2011, I hope it’s the best yet.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
