Alternative Christmas Dinner

I was wandering through Sainsbury's when i noticed their new for christmas "Mulled wine sorbet" 500ml £1.99 I decided to buy a carton and could not wait for Christmas to see what it tasted like. All I can say is "Christmas in a carton", it occurred to me that it has all the traditional flavours of mince pies and christmas pudding, but could be a much lighter, fresher alternative to the heavier puddings to follow a huge dinner. It claims to have "red wine,port &cinnamon, clove and nutmeg flavours" and does not disappoint. Ingredients include lots of sugar (well it is sorbet and it is also Christmas!) ...  Read the complete review

It really does do you good you know a bit of what you fancy I mean. Thinking about this made me think about one particular Christmas dinner I cooked and I thought I would share the memory with you, well I can’t share the meal, that’s long gone! We’d always had traditional Christmas meals till we all decided to become vegetarian and even then most of it was the same, we just found a different focal point. We were having a quiet Christmas for a change, so dinner was just going to be the five of us, that is my husband, two sons, daughter and me. It was one of our first vegetarian Christmases and on previous ones I had looked ...  Read the complete review

To me christmas means four things, getting presents (and of course giving them!), christmas TV (which is on a steady decline), drinking plenty and of course a good old traditional christmas lunch. Increasingly however people are starting to break from the tradition of turkey, sprouts et al and going for other less traditional meals. A lot of people still tend to stick to the roast theme, but maybe have a variation on turkey. Of course by this I mean the other main meats we eat regulary, pork, beef, lamb or chicken. Goose or duck is becoming popular too, and gourmet foods are making there way on the christmas table. Then of course there are the vegetarian ...  Read the complete review

Try this Christmas pudding for a refreshing change - it is flavoured with exotic cardamom and juicy apricots, just the thing for a jaded palate. (Make it with vegetarian suet - the carnivores won't know the difference and the vegetarians will be very happy!) An unusual Christmas pudding Serves about 12 - depending on portion size. Calories per serving 350 approximately. Ingredients:- - 6 green cardamom pods - 2 oz white or wholemeal self-raising flour - pinch of salt - one and a half teaspoons mixed spice - 3 oz ordinary or vegetable suet - 2 oz fresh white or brown breadcrumbs - 6oz soft dark brown sugar ...  Read the complete review

Our sons really enjoy a special family meal at Christmas. By that I mean one that they have helped to choose. Last year we started with Indian snacks followed by Crispy Duck with roast parsnips and roast potatoes. Next we had assorted cheeses and finally fruit sorbet. This year it will be smoked salmon and potato salad, Guninea fowl cooked with juniper berries and roasted vegetables, assorted cheeses and homemade fruity pudding that I know will not contain any nuts. The good things about this are that as the children have helped to choose we know they will enjoy all the meal. We have smaller portions of everything so you enjoy lots of different tastes ...  Read the complete review