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Christmas

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Original poster

Anyone fancy a luxury larder challenge?

213 replies

WaitingForMe · 05/09/2014 20:29

If we started on Monday we could do twelve projects prior to December. I'm thinking flavoured sprits, cakes, puddings, mincemeat etc.

Does anyone fancy joining me?

Disclaimer: I'm a poncetastic lunatic who can't wait until 25th Sept

I'd be happy to post the recipes I'll be doing.

OP posts:
ppeatfruit · 13/09/2014 13:36

Thanks everyone Grin I was vaguely hoping that a small tree that self seeds ALL over my garden was a sloe (it has tiny little berries though). So it's no good for anything then except the birds Sad

MNHQ
TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet · 13/09/2014 13:58

Am worried I need my own thread.
I want ponce without faff
Is there such a thing?

MehsMum · 13/09/2014 14:15

I am about to take an apple sponge out of the oven
DD most dismayed to hear it was going in the freezer!

cheesecheeseplease · 13/09/2014 15:00

builder how do you make Bacon jam? dh would love Smile

ColdCottage · 13/09/2014 15:06

Yes to bacon jam recipe please. Think I will make as gifts and add chili to some.

What do you mean ponce without faff?

PinkSquash · 13/09/2014 15:48

Oh, Bacon jam sounds like an idea, DH had some in his Flavourly box last year and if it's like that it'll be lush.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 13/09/2014 16:12

Some of the sloes were ready really early this year - you can tell if they have quite a bit of give when you squeeze them. So my sloe gin is already underway. We also have red currant gin made and cherry vodka. We did try picking hawthorn berries cos google told me you can eat them when we were out picking blackberries but they didn't really taste of anything.

I do my Christmas cake and mincemeat at half term.

I've got a load of damsons in the freezer to make some damson jam or similar soon. Dh turned the rest into damson liqueur. Chilli jam will be made once my chillis have ripened (or if we get a frost first, sooner)

Closer to Christmas dd will make some sweets for her friends. It's sort of become traditional for her to do so, they seem to like them and it saves her money.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 13/09/2014 16:15

Stem ginger brandy sounds awesome. Very tummy settling.

Mind you dd is getting a bit Hmm at all of our alcohol concoctions. That's the trouble with teens, they tend to notice things. I need to think of more things for her.

YeGodsAndLittleFishes · 13/09/2014 17:12

Stem ginger brandy. Yes please. :)

MNHQ
TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet · 13/09/2014 17:54

@ColdCottage

Yes to bacon jam recipe please. Think I will make as gifts and add chili to some.

What do you mean ponce without faff?

Minimum effort maximum impact -lazy.
I saw a cool thing on a lorraine pascal prog last night - pannacottas set on a slant in a champagne flute - looked very cool
funky

AnneEyhtMeyer · 13/09/2014 17:57

Olivia the sloe gin is very easy once you have picked the sloes, and I read last night that you can buy them on ebay, so someone else does the picking!

MNHQ
TheOnlyOliviaMumsnet · 13/09/2014 18:34

I have damsons in the freezer for the gin but haven't started yet
Disclaimer: i am a slatternly ponce

MehsMum · 13/09/2014 19:10

Buy sloes on ebay? What the blazes?

Half the satisfaction is picking the little buggers yourself! And THEN pickling them in alcohol.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 13/09/2014 21:03

Oh I agree, I had a lovely morning picking the sloes. My mind was allowed to wander freely while I picked them, and I thought a lot about my Granny and how she would have picked sloes in the same way as she loved sloe gin. Then I came home and used her old colander to wash them. It was a lovely way to spend a morning and connect with the past.

ppeatfruit · 13/09/2014 21:15

Olivia I saw that Lorraine Pascal programme,I'm always a bit Hmm about her she looks like she doesn't eat a thing, let alone pannacotta jellies!

Did you see the sweeties prog. that was on before GBBO 2 or 3 weeks ago? The chocolates they made had me drooling, they were poncy without much faff; chocolate ganache enrobed in chocolate !!!!

ColdCottage · 14/09/2014 15:25

These are amazing. They are meant to use up left over Christmas pudding but I buy a cheap pus just to make them.

Warning if the Christmas pudding is really boozy just use apple juice rather than more alcohol to bind or way too strong.

thegoddesskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/chocolate-puddini-bonbons.html?m=1

confusedalways · 14/09/2014 17:40

Does anybody know where I can get some cheap Kilmer type jars online? I don't want to spend a fortune on them especially if I'm giving them to people as gifts rather than reusing.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 14/09/2014 18:26

I got some really nice ones from ikea a couple of years ago. They also do nice flip top bottles.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 14/09/2014 19:47

confused try Dunelm, their real Kilner stuff is very good value. I got 1.5l jars for £2.99.

confusedalways · 14/09/2014 21:12

Thanks for the ideas, I need somewhere online really though.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 14/09/2014 21:14

You can order online at Dunelm. Confused

InEveryDreamHomeAHeartache · 14/09/2014 21:53

Zgaze

Can you give a link to your frozen forest fruits vodka recipe please? I've been looking online and some recipes add sugar and can be drunk after a few months, whereas others have no sugar and can be drunk in a couple of weeks and I'm now totally confused and desperately craving a glass of fruit flavoured vodka

confusedalways · 14/09/2014 21:54

Oh really? Perfect then thanks.

sandgrown · 14/09/2014 22:11

Made damson gin last year for the first time. I was told I had to keep it a year before drinking! Think I will have some now.

Dunwhingin · 14/09/2014 22:26

Evening all, I'm so pleased to have found you all Grin
So far we have lurking in dark corners:
Rhubarb gin
Damson vodka
Raspberry and blackberry brandy

I'm eyeing up the sloes, they are very early and some are getting wrinkled so they will get picked next weekend and I'm collecting my quinces for jelly on Friday.

Has anyone got a good marzipan recipe? I've never made any and I ought to give it a go.

I was given ginger whiskey a few years ago by a cousin, it was amazing, if I didn't already sound like a complete dipsomanic I might try making some....