Bake a batch of biscuit batter as you babble in your bubble with Baileys, beer and bubbles under the baubles and bells of the merry jubilations.
We know Christmas (and the build-up — which is often the best part, right?) is bound to be a little different this year.
No big work parties and waiting eagerly for the office gossip the following Monday. Did you hear about Sandra and Tim?!
No pub outings with your extended group of friends the night before the big event. When you’ll inevitably get a bit carried away and then be scolded for not eating all your dinner the next day.
No driving home for Christmas to family gatherings where all the cousins fight over who has the best present, Uncle John insists on telling every cracker joke, and Nana June falls asleep at the table.
No jet-setting off to sunnier climates if the cold weather is too much to bear.
BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t still have plenty of fun and revel in some festive cheer. This year, Christmas will be a whole lot more ‘hyggeligt’, as people hunker down in their bubbles and enjoy the little things in life with their nearest and dearest.
And you can bet food will be the star of the show. The blanket that wraps us all together in a great big, comforting hug.
Cook up a feast
Whatever you’re pine-ing for this festive season — whether it’s rolling out the dough-ho-ho with your little ones as you learn how to make Christmas bread together, baking gingerbread biscuits or mastering the ultimate fluffy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside roast potatoes — food has all the answers.
And with plenty of festive recipes to choose from, there’s no reason not to be merry and cook up a feast.
Try using the sticky honey and mustard glaze usually reserved for a ham to add flavour and a gorgeous golden colour to a turkey crown. A festive brioche centrepiece with a gooey baked camembert middle was made for tearing and sharing — the perfect way to warm up a cold evening. For a Boxing Day spread, root vegetables, candied nuts and blue cheese combine beautifully on flaky puff pastry to make a delectable veggie tart.
When it comes to dessert, Christmas is the time to pull out all the stops. Try adding a modern twist on a traditional Christmas cake with a hint of salted caramel — a real treat for any sweet tooth. Transform your yule log into a magical showstopper using festive spices, a brandy butter filling and chocolate truffle icing for extra indulgence. To build flavour and keep your fruit cake moist, bake it in advance and feed it regularly with rum, brandy or whisky.
Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without washing down all these goodies with a glug of mulled wine. To make a perfectly spiced concoction, use a good-quality red wine like an unoaked Tempranillo and give it a twist with a dash of sloe gin.
Now is the time to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy the simple pleasures this time of year has to offer — so, let’s get cooking and baking!
The perfect tonic
At The Abinger Cookery School, you can learn to cook your Christmas favourites with your family or friends.
Our private classes are made for groups of six — whether it’s a group of six friends or you and your family — so that you can relax, cook and bring drink some bubbles with your bubble.
Whether you’re keen to spend some quality time with your family while teaching the kids how to cook or looking for fun foodie things to do with a close group of friends, our private culinary courses are the perfect tonic to 2020. Our cooking classes are also a great team-building experience for corporates seeking to scale down the Christmas work do’s this year.
But wait — there’s myrrh. You can even select your own tree-mendous menu (which doesn’t have to be Christmas related) so that you can have a go at creating all those recipes you’ve been desperate to try.
Well, it would be rude-olph not to…
You snow the drill — contact us today to book a private course from the 2nd of December. Or if you’d like to treat the special foodie in your life, why not purchase a gift voucher to make their Christmas complete?
