The Third of the Christmas Magazines

May I just reiterate before we get started that the comments below are my own thoughts and take on this particular publication and that I am not affiliated or attached to any such organisation.

This magazine is a lovely one a bit of something for everyone and the cover certainly gets one in the Christmas mood at £3.99 it is not as dear as some of the others but it certainly has a lot of content.

There are simple recipes, recipes using ingredients (that for me I have in stock) like sloe gin being used in a chocolate tart, a chocolate cocktail using After Eight Mints, mincemeat Palmiers (well I have the home made mincemeat) but Palmiers can be made to use a quick savoury or sweet addition to the tea table just using a pack of puff pastry, even with cinnamon and brown sugar.  I have made a batch of chocolate and pear jam.  In this magazine there is a pear and chocolate Streudel and I thought perhaps I could make a version of the Streudel but using my pear and chocolate jam. So for me it is always about ingredients and ideas coming from something else and managing to use ingredients which I have in stock in my pantry or in my Christmas stash. For me it is about experimentation and putting my own take on things at the end of the day.

There are also cookies and a chocolate Christmas Wreath cake amongst a whole host of other recipes.

What really delighted me though was that with this magazine it is more about recipes and the adverts section is at the back but it is not large. Phew. There are simple recipes together with glamourous recipes, vegetarian recipes, but even I like the sound of some of those and I would think they are quite tasty.  Recipes for a salmon terrine, chicken liver pate etc. etc. Panettone pudding (which I think is a take on bread and butter pudding).  There are also ideas for a nibbles platter of goodies for everyone to help themselves from.  I am always open for help yourself menus as it means I am not always tied to the kitchen sink.  That is the agreement in our household.  I do all the main cooking like the turkey and the baking and boxing day dinner.  Then that is it.  I get a holiday over Christmas too.  There are lots of things from which to help yourself.

I don't know about any of you out there but one of the reasons that I buy the Christmas magazines is really for the pressie section.  I have done this for many years and I keep those magazines to one side so when I am looking for something different to make even for my own pantry I tend to hit this stash before anything else.  I also like to see the different ways more traditional recipes have been tweaked as well or the methods used to do something as sometimes they can really be a light bulb moment and you think why did I not do that before.  I also use the food recipe websites also for the Christmas pressie recipes.

Right catch you later.

Pattypan

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