Christmas Wishes

Our preparations are underway, I'm getting ahead and pre-prepping everything that I can in the kitchen, then tomorrow I simply need to do the final cooking. We've collected the goose from Michael Coleman at Hewish Farm, the turkey from Danestream, and our organic vegetables, fruit, sausages and bacon have been delivered by Riverford.

This year's menu

Starter

Gravadlax with dill and mustard sauce, garnished with mixed salad leaves

Main

Roast Goose with sage and apple sauce

Roast Turkey and chestnut stuffing

Sprouts with chestnuts and bacon lardons

Carrot batons

Braised red cabbage with apple

Pigs in blankets

Bread sauce, cranberry sauce, cumberland sauce

Roast parsnips

Roast potatoes

Gravy

Dessert

 (for anyone that actually has room)

Christmas pudding with custard

I'm going to use one oven and roast both a turkey and goose for our Christmas dinner, so timing is everything as they don't both fit at the same time.

I'm intrigued that Raymond Blanc roasts his turkey in a very different way and in 1hr 30 minutes, I've spotted that he doesn't stuff the neck, so going to use his method this year and make stuffing balls to cook separately.

Michel Roux roasts a goose in 2hrs as he uses a ready cooked stuffing. I'm going to make my normal loose sage/onion/apple stuffing, that turns into a luscious apple sauce and goes perfectly with the richness of the goose.

The gravadlax is currently curing in the fridge, this was the first fillet before the curing mix was smothered over it.

It is so easy to make and tastes so much better when it's fresh.

A trick, once made, you can then freeze the other fillet for another time.

We find that one fillet gives enough slices for 5 of us as a starter. When slicing, you need to make the slices a little thicker than smoked salmon.

We love cranberry sauce with our Christmas Lunch, but also with cold meats and cheeses throughout the year.

I normally find some bargain cranberries in the shops and create jars of sauce to use or gift to friends.

Luckily cranberries also freeze really well, so the extra packet hubby came home with, have already gone in the freezer for another cooking session.

I've also created my special Cumberland sauce for my mum, due to being on warfarin, she's not allowed cranberries.

The red cabbage, is currently braising in a slow oven. This will be the first year I've served braised red cabbage, not sure whether my parents have ever eaten it, but it's lovely hot or cold and I know that my mum will adore the sweet and sour taste.

Now to prepare all the veg, parboiling the potatoes and popping them in their roasting tray with goose fat. Wrapping the pigs in blankets, making the stuffing balls, finishing the bread sauce. Then to prepare the carrots, sprouts and parsnips. Thank goodness we've just treated ourselves to a new fridge/freezer, it's like a tardis, just when you think it's full, you rejig the contents and there's more space.

Dinner tonight will be a lovely smoked ham glazed with some of my Cumberland sauce which I cooked this morning. It's a beechwood smoked, free range gammon from Waitrose. I boiled it for 2 hours then glazed in a hot over for 20 minutes. I'm really pleased with the result.

If I've been a good girl, I'm hoping I receive another cookery book from my hubby, every Christmas and Birthday he has given me a cookery book with an inscription inside.

I hope Santa brings you everything you wished for.