Christmas Cooking

[Travis1]

What treats does everyone make at Christmas? I see mentions of sausage rolls, cookies, cakes etc but I normally buy all these things. This year I'm having all the family to us so would like to do some proper cooking.

Any ideas? Recipes would also be gratefully received! TIA x

STG, I’m going to have your Boxing Day next weekend. Love the sound of ham cooked in ginger beer.

That Christmas pudding rocky road looks awesome! Just need to remember it nearer the time...

DM has started to boil her ham in Coke - a la Nigella (but without the extra spices). That made quite a nice flavor to it. I don't think she baked it at all afterwards last year and it was still delish!

We usually do spiced beef as well - I'd love to learn the spice mix (my DB does it the years he has time to enjoy the kitchen) but usually we buy it ready-spiced.

The rocky road happened as I was asked to do dessert one year - I made pavlovas with fresh berries and whipped cream for adults, and the rocky road for DCs. (I was in a cottage, with unknown utensils etc, so I was planning ahead. Rocky road was done before we left home, and only needing white chocolate to be melted there - relatively straightforward. And Pavlova bases were made at home and transported (very very carefully) in plastic tubs, I brought a whisk for cream just in case, and knew I'd get berries or other fruit locally, and chocolate flake to scatter over the top. The bit that didn't work so well was my attempt at decoration - I added green colouring to the last bit of meringue and tried to pipe tree shapes - they baked ok but broke en route and didn't really stand up as planned nor did the green show up enough...)

Last Christmas, for pudding on Boxing Day, I made Cumberland Rum Nicky (it was one of the Technical Bakes on Bake-Off), and it was so delicious that I am going to make it again this year.

My Boxing Day plan always involves as little work as possible for me - the ham is cooked in advance, baked potatoes are easy, and the home made coleslaw is quick too - and so I made the filling and the pastry for the Rum Nicky on Christmas Eve, when I was doing the rest of the food prep for Christmas Day, and kept it in the fridge so all I had to do was roll out the pastry and assemble it, on Boxing Day, and it worked a treat.

Ooh!! I am excited now about Christmas cooking, it's one of my favourite things. I'm going to make mince pies at the start of December this year to emjoy them all month as I ran out of time last year and

was disappointed by the ship ones I ended up with!

I have prev made picallili, which I might do again; Christmas chutney; membrillo with plums; and a flat stollen!!