All I want for Christmas is . . .

At Christmas time, remember, the calories don’t count!  Chocolate Yule log should be eaten in hearty slices with a side order of trifle and a bowlful of brandy-blazing Christmas pudding.  A mince pie should be considered a staple breakfast item and a napkin full of canapés and five glasses of champagne is a reasonable meal supplement during the holiday season. 

It is with great disappointment, however, that mince pies are not an American Christmas Tradition; according to TV shows and fancy food magazines, gingerbread houses are all the rage in America.  Naturally, I'm wondering who it is that has the time or skill to bake, make and decorate a gingerbread house like Martha Stewart’s?  I tried my hand at cookies the other day and failed miserably so I’ll pass on the gingerbread house but it did remind me of the infamous British TV quote: Well, goodnight, and I hope your doughnuts turn out like Fanny's.  Over here in the US, croissants turn into crescent rolls, Yule log becomes Bûche de Noël, devilled eggs seems to be having a renaissance and I’m still waiting to have my first cup of Eggnog - like in the movies!   

Thank god that alcohol is a consistent, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, Christmas day is a great excuse for drinking Champagne for breakfast.  This year we’re going one better and adding a Bloody Mary bar into the mix because nothing says, “festivities” quite like a large bottle of vodka and champagne flutes full of bubbles at 10 am.  Inevitably, when I'm completely full of food and alcohol I'll inch towards the leftover turkey and holiday ham for the traditional stuffing sandwich... and perhaps a last pick of the cheese board to round the whole day off.  

As Wizard said: I wish it could be Christmas every day.  My waistline is ever so thankful it’s not! 

(Next Friday is Christmas Day so there will be no blog but if you got to the end of this article and didn't click on 'American Christmas Tradition' in the second paragraph then think of this as my little gift from Saturday Night Live)

The Real Spirit of Christmas...

With all this talk of food I’ve failed to talk about my favourite accompaniment - alcohol!   And what is a great meal without a good drink to wash it down? Like many others, I find there’s no better way to get into the festive mood than to share a drink with family and friends; work takes second place to festive parties, everyone needs something medicinal to get through the madness and Christmas Day represents one of the best excuses to drink Champagne from the time you get out of your bed, until you retire into it again.  Alcohol is also an excellent gift so I’ve put together some intriguing ideas from the wine and spirit world.

 

First up, Piper-Heidsieck joined forces with Christian Louboutin to offer something for the fashionista in your life, the crystal, stiletto-shaped Champagne flute and accompanying special edition Champagne that is sure to bring out your inner burlesque diva for a smooth $500. 

In Paris, La Tour d’Argent opened their world-renowned wine cellar (estimated to hold more than 450,000 bottles valued at €25 million and guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by its own security team) to auction off 18,000 vintages for those with a penchant for fine wine and deep pockets.  For those on a more conservative budget, the Beaujolais Biker Brigade kicked-off the Beaujolais Nouveau season in New York and Miami.  This wine should be consumed at its peak from mid November – early Jan and should be served at a cool 55 degrees, making it ideal for Floridian festivities. 

Finally, if you’re looking for the best time to drink your favourite wine then consider purchasing this book: When Wine Tastes Best 2010: A Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers. The book pinpoints the best days and hours to drink different wines based on the Biodynamic principles of the moon and the constellations.  If you’re skeptical or simply believe that wine is good at any time (you’re not alone) then take into consideration that two of the UK’s largest supermarkets use these principles when they are showcasing their new wines. 

Alternatively, stick to the usual PJ and socks gift combo and keep all of that sweet liquor and smooth wine for yourself.  Whatever your libation and wherever you are in the world, lets raise a glass to friends and family, no matter how near or far! 

British Bounty

Last weekend we made a pit stop at The British Depot, a cavern of food, flags and souvenirs owned by Gavin From Essex and Aggie from Glasgow.  This pair are exactly as you would imagine, which is to say that Gavin seems like a wheeler-dealer who could sort you out with a great buy on bottles of Lucozade and tins of beans, and Aggie who could talk your ear off whilst smothering you in shortbread.

The British Depot’s shelves are stacked with everything from chocolate to curry sauce.  There is also a monthly delivery of crisps and if you catch it at the right time you’ll be rewarded with Bacon Frazzles, Monster Munch and McCoy’s, should you be late then you’ll have to suffer with a bag of ready salted Walkers.  For me, the real gem of the shop is the freezer full of black pudding, haggis and scotch pies as these goods are the most difficult to come by in other stores.  Prices are high but the rewards are endless and I always feel like I’ve been on a treasure hunt when I leave the store with my bag full of food and fond memories. 

Last Friday night was no different, we cleared the store out of freshly made sausage rolls, threw in a few bags of bacon Frazzles, a Wispa, bottles of Schweppes Bitter Lemon for our gin and a Chocolate Orange ("It's not Terry's, it's mine").  With this, my co-pirate and I headed over to the other coast of Florida to share our bounty [editors note: all sausage rolls were quickly put in the freezer for “special occasions” and have not been seen since…] 

The drive got me thinking about how terribly exotic the food from Britain seemed when I could no longer get my hands on it, and lets be honest, that’s probably the first and last time I’ll ever consider British food as “exotic”.  This coincides with a friend that is currently running a one-man campaign for Scottish Plain Loaf in London and another friend that was distraught at losing boxes of Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes to the African heat.  So to all of you Australian’s missing your Tim Tams and Vegemite.  Ex-pat North Americans craving Kraft mac n’ cheese and bags of Combos and Twizzlers. The Europeans who are suffering without great cheese, bread, sweets and other euro goodies and to everyone else that is after a taste of home, go forth this weekend and hunt out that little bite of familiarity!   

On that note, I’ve got a real hankering for a fish supper….