Christmas came early last week with Waitrose and a bunch of other great people! We all gathered in North London in a Bull & Last Pub, it felt like walking in their new Christmas advert, where locals gather for a drink on Christmas morning but as the snowstorm hit the area, they are forced to cook together a wonderful Christmas meal and share it together… We all know that food plays an essential role in bringing people together, but it’s good to be reminded sometimes :) Christmas is not about expensive gifts and fancy restaurants, it’s about family and friends sharing a meal and great conversations, enjoying each other company.
Dinner started with a glass of bubbly and a wonderful range of canapes, my favourite ones were Christmas Tree Vol-au-Vents – crispy puff pastry filled with roasted mushrooms and Madeira in a creamy sauce, YUM! These little Christmas Tree shaped bites are highly addictive, plus they will look so cute served on a wooden board as a starter for your Christmas dinner.
Before we sat down we got to make some festive Gingerbread Martinis to keep us warm :D Here is a quick recipe for all of you if you wish to give it a go during this festive season:
25ml vodka
25ml Baileys
25ml Kahlua (coffee liqueur)
20ml Gingerbread Syrup
= makes 1!
Combine the Irish cream liqueur, vodka, coffee liqueur, Gingerbread Syrup and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour into chilled martini glasses. Top each with a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of gingerbread cookie crumbs. You can thank me later :)
Dinner itself was absolutely fabulous and that huge table we were dining at was suddenly too small for all the boards and trays of food. From Black Forest venison rack accompanied by a rich cherry sauce to Whole Turkey with Pork, sage and onion stuffing served with maple syrup roasted potatoes which were beautifully crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, real treat! Veggie sides were also on point and my favourite was fried Brussel sprouts with lentils and herbs, need to try and make this myself. It was hard but we did leave a tiny bit of space for desserts so we enjoyed Black Forest dark chocolate mousse with fruity compote in the centre, Salted Caramel Profiterole tart, Mocha Cheesecake and so much more, while exchanging our Secret Santa presents with a big smile on our faces. This was definitely a dinner to remember and many thanks to Waitrose for having me xx
Great news for all of you is that you can all join and be a part of #ChristmasTogether and win some amazing prizes such as Kitchen Aid mixers, Champagne and Christmas hampers over the coming weeks by sharing your Christmas moments on your social channels and tagging @waitrose and using the hashtag #ChristmasTogether.
More information and Ts & Cs here: http://www.waitrose.com/home/christmaswithwaitrose/waitrose-christmas-advert/social-competition.html
steak & merlot 