Poncetastic Christmas 2014

[HopeAndStories]

(Posting FellatioNelson's OP from previous years )
_

OK, first of all, I know it's still September by we need to start this thread now because as you all know, having a truly Poncetastic Christmas involves precision planning, strategy, bravery, heroics, and frequently martyrdom. A bit like the war in Afghanistan, only with nicer food and sparkly shoes.

So, if you, like me, actually want to make the next twelve weeks of your life a misery by hand-crafting your cards, finding a huge bucket for Nigella's turkey in brine, pickling pears, shrivelling oranges in a low oven for those rustic au naturel decorations, dragging half a holly bush back from the woods, and just generally being a smug annoying jobsworth ponce, join me on this thread.

Feel free to post photos of previous tree-trimming, cake icing or table centrepiece triumphs, discuss this year's bauble colour themes, debate the merits of Delia versus Gordon, road-test a selection of canapes and cocktails, (all in the line of duty) and link to lovely inspirational photos/craft ideas for a truly Poncetastic Christmas.

Warning: If your idea of a good Christmas involves Pizza, ITV, gravy granules or anything with 'Aunt Bessies' on the packet, this is not the thread for you.

Have been reading this on and off all day!

Umalauf i love your bunting you are very clever!

Is it too late to start sloe gin?

we recently made chilli jam with peppers and chilli. It didn't set so we boiled up some apples (basically made apple sauce) added it to the chilli jam and boiled it all to 104C it is truly jam now. Very very well set :)

Oh meant to say, the apples make it go especially well with pork x)

Have had an idea. Hopes and Umlaufs Christmas puddings could be turned into an advent calendar. 24 puds on a ribbon to make a garland, with a gap unstitched to pop a sweetie inside each pud. Or each pud with a velcro tab on the back, fixed to a fabric hanging with the other bits of velcro tabs attached, so that the puds stick on and can be removed, or added as the days pass. And they'd need numbers as well.

Thank you for your tips! woolly that is a lovely offer but I hadn't even thought of pectin sachets from the UK. Whilst it would probablyh be unreasonable to ask my Mum to fill her paltry baggage allowance with kgs of jam sugar when she visits in October, it is quite reasonable to ask her for lightweight pectin sachets, so I shall try her first. Thank you though! If all else fails I could try the apple sauce addition.

I'm getting carried away with felt and want to make DS this reindeer garland for his bedroom, only the one at the front needs a red nose of course. And I think this was mentioned upthread but this felt christmas tree with felt decorations.

Our strawberry and champagne jam was tested for breakfast this morning and it is lovely but you can't taste the champagne at all so I'm not sure whether to bother giving it away as plain old strawberry jam doesn't quite have the same ring to it. And it used up the last of the jam sugar too, sob!

I'm in Northern Spain Zebra Yesterday we went on a country walk and I found a source for blackberries. Any ideas what I can do with blackberries in time for Christmas? They aren't ready yet so I'll need to go back in a couple of weeks to pick them!

Wooden breakfast set down to £7.50. Perfect for all getting kitchens!

Ignore me.... it's plastic and therefore not as good a buy! Wait for Sainsburys they reduce the wooden ones!

Do you reckon I can get cooking apples from Asda? If not, can I use normal apples for mincemeat? I don't remember ever seeing cooking apples anywhere.

Felix Asda should have cooking apples - they may call them Bramley Apples.

Ignore me again... im on the wrong thread! Can you tell it's the school holidays?!?

I've just found two Christmas puddings and an un-iced Christmas cake in a cake tin at the back of my baking cupboard. I'm fairly certain that the puddings will be OK to eat this year (only DH eats them ) but will the cake be OK? Could I use it for Christmas cake truffles and if so, does anyone have a recipe?

Umlauf your decorations are absolutely beautiful!

I've been stockpiling supplies this weekend, my new project this year is the garage, it has a lovely peaked roof just begging to be decorated so I'm going for faux garlands with fresh greenery tied in, frosted peonies, pine cones and warm white battery lights and have found beautiful gold burlap wired ribbon to swag.

Sounds like a right old mish mash but it looks fabulous in my head

Northern Spain you'll def find some crab apples on trees I should think. Or you could just use any old sour apples or cookers. The sweet (nice) ones won't have as much pectin. Another way of getting homemade pectin is from citrus - it's the pips and pith that have the pectin. I tend to save up my squeezed out lemon halves and pips for jam season- I bung them in the freezer. Again, the sour the fruit the more pectin it would have, so lemons better than oranges here. You can boil it up for a pectin stock that you add to recipes (that also stores well), or you can also just add the citrus bits to your jam, in a muslin bag or pop sock.

For blackberries, you could make jam, gin / vodka / whisky, stick them in a pie... Make a nice jelly to go wih cold meats? The less ripe ones have pectin in than the oozy ones so bear this in mind if you want a set jam.

I think we should skill swap.
You can all sew beautiful things for me, and I will take questions on cheap jam jars, and misc preserve related queries.

Anyone?

Quince!!

Umlauf, are there quinces near you? That would look so pretty in chilli jam.

Hmm I still have quinces in the garden, and more chillis. Perhaps I'll make another batch of chilli jam, this time with quince? Good thing I eat so much of the stuff....

Thank you woolyback!

umlauf I am sure she says with wavering conviction that I have made chilli jam without pectin or jam sugar in the past. If it helps it would have been a Waitrose recipe so not sure if Dr Google could help you at all?

m.waitrose.com/worklight/apps/services/www/Waitrose_Real/mobilewebapp/default/Waitrose_Real.html?l=recipe&recipeUrl=/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/r/rachel_allen_s_sweet_chilli_jam.html#waitrose_views_LeftSidebarMenu_0,waitrose/views/SearchCategoryView_0,waitrose/widgets/SwapView_0,LoginModalView,LoginView,dojox_mobile_SwapView_0,RecipeDetails
I was right, I was right
It was lovely too
:o

I have ordered my Paperwhite Narcissi to grow on pebbles in hurrican vases.
I have done it every year for 30 years. They smell amazing.
I generally start them off in the dark on November 10th and they bloom all over Christmas.

Also if you want less tall plants replace 4-6% of the water with gin (!) it stunts the growth of the greenery whilst not affecting the blooms
Link to Cornell University work gardening.about.com/od/forcingandprechilling/qt/PaperWhites_Alc.htmHERE

My absolutely beautiful nativity scene from Cenacle arrived this morning. It is perfect. Not too twee, not too cute, not too intimidating swish. Perfect. Have packed it away until Advent.

trumpton they are beautiful. I may take a trip to the garden centre this weekend.

thefantasticmrsfox THANK YOU !! That looks lovely! I want red peppers in it too. I'm just going to go with it and see what happens! I have faith that it is possible now! I'll report back on Sunday...

Itisntjustaphase oh do share a photo I am looking for the perfect nativity. Ideally a sturdy painted wooden one for toddler DS that will still look sweet when he has grown up.

spottedzebra I'm ashamed to admit I wouldn't know where to look for Quince or Crab Abbles. I did once look for cooking apples when trying to bake apple crumble and had little success. The supermarket is very unhelpful and just calls each variety by its name, rather than pointing out their uses for the idiots, like lovely Sainsbury's might! You are right about the skill swap, I may be crafty but I am no chef nor gardener...!

Where do you order the bulbs from Trumpton? They are lovely, I'd like to try them.

This is the nativity set. Not wooden but they have quite a range on the site.

I ordered the bulbs from ebay janelanenursuries . I put 5 or so bulbs in each container with 3ins of pebbles in the bottom and then put a few more pebbles in to hold the bulbs steady. Water to the bottom of bulbs and into dark cool place until 4/5 ins high then bring into light.
It's at that stage I replace the water with alcohol solution.