Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

What's going in your Christmas cupboard?

27 replies

hobbledyhoy · 30/10/2023 21:16

Inspired by the Nigel Slater thread I've downloaded Christmas Chronicles and am making a list of nice, quality things to enjoy over the festive period, with the plan to buy a little each week and spread the cost.

I'm aware I'm likely kidding myself on about my cooking capability as well as time available to make my own mince pies but so far I have:

Marzipan
Ginger crystallised and syrup
Sultanas
Brandy
Pedro ximenez sherry
Posh candle
Blue cheese
Quince jelly

Looking for further inspiration, what are you planning for your Christmas cupboard?

OP posts:
babystep · 30/10/2023 21:21

I like to get nice jams and marmalade (ie posh ones not the usual supermarket own)
Chutney (ditto posh, often try to pick up in Summer when on holiday)
Posh pickle onions or other stuff for cold meats
fancy crackers for cheese
Variety pack of cereal for the kids

hobbledyhoy · 30/10/2023 21:27

Ooh yes chutney and posh crackers

OP posts:
mondaytosunday · 30/10/2023 21:58

I can't buy anything ahead of time as it will get eaten! But I will be buying Waitrose's No 1 Christmas cake soon before it gets sold out!

Flibbertygibbetty · 30/10/2023 22:03

Sounds lovely OP. Baileys. Foraged chestnuts which I will cook and freeze for Christmas day and will buy panatonne, hot chocolate, manchego to go with quince jelly plus other cheeses nearer time. Ingredients to make chocolate truffles. Dried cranberries and apricots to make stuffing. Medjool dates.

Lesina · 30/10/2023 22:03

Suncream and a bikini as I am spending the festive period in Thailand 😬

hobbledyhoy · 30/10/2023 22:20

@mondaytosunday
toyed with attempting to make my own Christmas cake but it feels that no one apart from me actually likes it. Perhaps I should do the waitrose one.

@Flibbertygibbetty
I've never had chestnuts but foraged ones add an extra dimension and it all feels very Nigelesque.

@Lesina
Surely you'll miss the feeling of the cosy Christmas whilst you're sunning yourself on the beach??

I'm adding dates and Camembert to the list and some cobnuts

OP posts:
Dorriethelittlewitch · 31/10/2023 01:31

So far I have lots and lots of gin, chocolate covered orange sweets, some chocolate snowmen, a bottle of some sort of mulled wine and some hot chocolate melt things for dc2.

I will be dehydrating apple slices to dip in chocolate. They keep reasonable well in air tight jars (if not eaten straight away)
We will make a Christmas cake purely so the kids can decorate it. Although it's my favourite kind of cake.
A gingerbread house kit. I already have some sweets and baking glue for it.
Cookie dough to make cookies for Santa and marshmallows to decorate them...they have to be melting snowmen. I usually make ahead and freeze the dough to save time on Christmas Eve.

I will be buying a Cheese selection and quince jelly from our local farmshop.
Nuts including marmite dusted cashews
Pomegranates. As a child I only ever remember having them at Christmas.
Pickled onions and beetroot for our Christmas "picnic" as well as a spicy jam for sandwiches.
Chocolate oranges and "normal" oranges.
Fancy non alcoholic drinks for the kids/my mum who doesn't drink etc.
Spices for mulled wine/cider

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 31/10/2023 10:26

I have already made a cake and have started feeding it brandy. I have nice chocolates and some chocolate mints, well hidden! I still have the brandy and sherry from last year,. I need sone meat, fish and wine.

hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 10:33

My god, some of you are so organised, you put me and my very small list to shame!

OP posts:
Coastalcreeksider · 31/10/2023 10:36

A small Christmas pudding as I'm on my own this year and I don't want to be eating it for days.

That's it in my cupboard.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 31/10/2023 11:03

Nothing yet, but I’ve got 2 recently made 🎄puddings in the fridge.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 31/10/2023 11:06

And half a dozen jars of Delia’s mincemeat in a cupboard - I forgot those. No mince pies until 1st December though - quite enough time anyway for me and dh to make 🐷🐷 of ourselves.

hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 12:10

Ooh yes mincemeat ingredients should be added to the list. Or perhaps just a posh shop one.

OP posts:
Georgyporky · 31/10/2023 12:12

Passport & Euros.

YuletideSolace · 31/10/2023 13:07

Haven't got much yet! There aren't many of us so I really have to guard against going way overboard as I love all things culinary.

2 bottles of vin santo. We ate the 3 bags of cantuccini that were meant to be had with it Xmas Blush so they will need replacing.

Drinks: already have gin, cognac, lots of whiskies, a Madeira and a spiced rum. Plus the dessert wine mentioned above. Need to get some calvados and maybe some grand armagnac. Port and sherry too, of course. Bailey's for me (I drink that in early December, love a small glass every evening). Probably more to go on that list, but DH is in charge of drinks.

1 bag of Italian shortcake biscuits with buckwheat. Or spelt? Can't remember.

1 jar of gooseberry chutney and one of fig and penja pepper paste. I still need to buy quince jelly. I'm also going to make Nigella's chilli jam.

1 jar of some kind of special pepper that's perfect to pair with cabernet sauvignon (I think? I bought it earlier this year and can't actually remember!) and apparently brings out wonderful flavours in both... DH just laughs every time and says they saw me coming! Xmas Hmm

We'll make our own mincemeat soon. Not making a Christmas cake or a pudding this year; ringing the changes with either a chocolate and nut cake or a tropical pavlova.

Just did our dried fruits/nuts/etc order so that's all sorted. Keep ginger, crystallised and in syrup from year to year as I never use all of it at Christmas. Also already had treacle. The only thing I still need to get is golden syrup.

I'll make cranberry sauce and red cabbage ahead of time, both of which I'll freeze. I need to get a jar of redcurrant jelly.

2 tins of Danish butter cookies, 1 tin of mixed biscuits. Probably won't buy any more than that as I like to bake my own for the most part.

I've got some gingerbread bites atm but that's just for me to eat whilst reading CC and planning my Nigelling.

Need to get one pannetone and one pandoro.

Need to buy marzipan and nougat for making our own truffles. Have got candied orange slices and dried rose petals for toppings. Need a bottle of rose water!

There must be loads I'm missing! Will have to consolidate it all into one place and make an inventory.

@Dorriethelittlewitch have you seen the little mini Christmas cakes made in half-size food tins? Such a cute idea for the children to each have their own! Although not much use if they don't want to actually eat it...

Hibernatalie · 31/10/2023 13:46

Crystallised ginger sounds heavenly! Sugared almonds? Honey roast cashews. A lot of wine.
Posh flavoured tonics for my gin...

Caspianberg · 31/10/2023 13:52

For freezer, I make homemade sausage rolls sometime at the end of November and freeze Raw. Then over the Xmas period I can just take out and bake fresh from frozen depending on how many people come around last minute.

Otherwise it’s always us busy 23/24th, then we invite neighbours over 26th and end up baking when already busy.

YuletideSolace · 31/10/2023 15:16

Oh yes definitely sausages rolls!

We've got sausagemeat ready in the freezer.

hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 15:59

I think I'll make some home made sausage rolls. That sounds lovely.
I'm planning to make what I can in advance and freeze so it's simple and less hectic than usual .

OP posts:
YuletideSolace · 31/10/2023 16:11

@hobbledyhoy I do that every year and it's brilliant - I'm a big believer in keeping Christmas as easy-going and relaxed as possible.

LethalToddlerElbows · 31/10/2023 16:46

I always buy fancier eggs than usual for Christmas breakfast eg Clarence Court. Along with masses of smoked salmon.

Lots and lots of cheese and different chutneys from the farmers market. And pate, lots of different pates.

I basically do a tour of all the supermarkets picking up nice bits and then we have an extra fridge freezer in the garage which gets stuffed to the gills!

hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 17:04

This year my vibe will be relaxed with a drink in hand, whacking pre-prepared stuff in the oven and not sweating whilst cooking the carrots and people getting under my feet.

OP posts:
Couch25k · 31/10/2023 20:32

I love this thread, I’m a prepper so this is heaven. So far I have:

fillet of beef in the freezer
Joint of ham in the freezer
biscuits for cheese
2x tubs of cheese footballs
2 x Packs of crispy nuts
6 bottles of Prosecco
2 bottles of champagne
chilli jam
onion chutney
cranberry sauce
horseradish sauce

Waitrose slot booked for 22nd Dec
Christmas crackers ( pulling kind)
serviettes

oh and chocolate tree decorations….

hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 21:11

@Couch25k I'm going to treat myself to a very nice champagne this year I think. Been a long time since I've had it

OP posts:
hobbledyhoy · 31/10/2023 21:12

@YuletideSolace that is a cracking list. Christmas at yours sounds wonderfully decadent. Nigel would approve!

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread