Poncetastic 2017

[Annwithnoe]

Since there doesn't seem to be a poncetastic thread, and to avoid confusion with thread titles, would I be out of order to start this one?

First order of business, a toast to our dearly missed Fellatio Nelson, wherever she may be and a quote from her original thread:

^
"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".

^

Gingerbread house using the Lakeland mould.

The recipe they suggest is nice and simple, but it would've been so much easier if they'd said you don't need to fill the mould. Also if anyone else tries this, mine would've been burnt to a crisp if I'd let in the oven for the full amount of time.

I also notice you have to seriously press down so the pattern shows well.

Tomorrow we'll decorate it.

That gingerbread house looks great! We've got a set from Lakeland that we bought a few years ago, but they are just metal cutters rather than moulds. I have promised DD that we will make one on the 23rd.

Have started writing Christmas cards tonight. Have decided to send fewer this year, but to make them count more with a short letter inside each one. So they are going to take a while to write!

I want to try it with chocolate for Christmas. I'll also probably use the same recipe for Christmas decorations.

Does anyone make their own chocolates/ gingerbread cookies for the tree? What do you wrap them up in?

We make gingerbread biscuits to hang from the tree. I don't wrap them in anything, just poke a hole before baking then hang with ribbon. The only year that was a disaster was the year I used crushed boiled sweets for a stained glass window effect, but hung them too close to the lights and they melted and dripped everywhere!

I love the idea of stained glass, but not so much sticky messes.

Does anyone actually eat them though? Don't they get all hard and dusty?!

Rather than a gingerbread house, I bought this in morrisons the other day. I will probably do a sweet one With cookie or shortbread, and also possibly a savoury one for Christmas Eve, using puff pastry and cheese/chutneys.

I find gingerbread houses way too fiddly and usually one or all of the dc gets the rage when it doesn't stick properly!

I can never get biscuits hard enough - the thermostat on my oven is a bit dodgy so I'm blaming the tools

Saw the attached picture online today and thought my fellow Poncers would be equally delighted by it.

I've wrapped everything already bought, in a mixture of plain and printed brown paper, and gosh it does make the presents look very classy. I'm three and a half rolls in though, so it's a good thing I bought five or six!

MrsHathaway The secret is in the name Biscuit which means baked twice! Just pop them in the oven again and they'll harden up nicely!

You're better organised than me I'm coming over today, and going off line. (we live between Fr. and England) for a few weeks and am thinking of buying present bags because I haven't the time to wrap! I'm babysitting our gd and then DD1 is having an early Xmas party!

Considering making my own marron glace may be going too far?

ppeatfruit once they're hard they're burnt/inedible. Honestly, I have a real blind spot for biscuits.

I can do millionaire's shortbread, though, as it's far more forgiving!

I've got one of those star cutter sets too for making a tree. We love gingerbread in our house!

To be honest we don't tend to eat the ones we hang on the tree as they go stale. Although my teenage DSs will eat them if desperate...

Might just make salt dough decorations for the tree and add some cinnamon for the scent. I actually had some essential orange oil so that could work as well.

I'd also be less annoyed DS is messing around with food like yesterday...

Has anyone tried the cornflour and PVA dough for making decorations? There's some lovely instructions online for making them with lace prints and so on, but I'd like some real life (you guys count) experience to trust!

No Mrs Hathaway and I'd be interested to hear if they work too!

The salt dough ones are fine but they don't look refined.

Trouble is, PVA and cornflour are both kind of expensive if it goes wrong (compared with salt dough which is pence).

I suppose it largely depends on how good you are at that kind of craft too. I bought some Fimo clay to do some decorations but they looked awful, I think I'm a bit heavy handed for delicate clay work!!

Good point and ditto, but I can do "cut out angel with angel cutter" and they'd be better in white clay than beige.

That sounds good actually. I wonder if they have cornflour that's past its sell by date at a shop near me.

I'm not going for refined here though, I plan on making them with a 3 year old. A feral one...

I made these as gift tags /present toppers a few years ago from pva / cornflour mix. Just dug them out to photograph and they are still good . Well worth it .

Very clear edges, Trumpton. And reminds me that I have exactly those ivy leaf cutters in the cupboard. Thank you for that recommendation/endorsement.

I've just put up my handmade Christmas bunting. My nephews are at an age where they can wonder at it now, I hope they like it.

Love that sprout

Thanks MrsH! I've created a 3D felt sprout and carrot & turnip and pig in blanket for on the tree. I'll post a pic when they're out!

They go all up the stairs, it was during my 'bunting phase'

Well, my Christmassy muffins looked more like Santa is a serial killer and the tree rose in the middle, but not on the sides...

Did make some bread buns with Cheddar and quince paste (membrillo) which are really nice, will try different cheeses and chutneys next. Brie and cranberry, blue cheese and fig jam maybe.