FLOWER POT KITCHEN: OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER ! WELL I FORGOT TO PHOTO MOST OF THE DINNER AS WE WERE TO BUSY EATING IT !!!

8 Jan 2013

OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER ! WELL I FORGOT TO PHOTO MOST OF THE DINNER AS WE WERE TO BUSY EATING IT !!!

THE NO1 GUEST AT OUR CHRISTMAS TABLE

A MUST HAVE CHIPOLATAS WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

ONE OF THE BEST BITS MAKING THE GRAVY...

LOVE LOVE LOVE MAKING THE GRAVY THIS IS MY CHRISTMAS EVE FINAL PREP AFTER WE HAVE HELPED SANTA DELIVER THE STOCKINGS, I GET A TIPPLE, OR THREE AND ONE FOR SANTA AND JUST RELAX AND REDUCE STOCK LOL!

MAKING MAGIC REINDEER DUST SO THAT SANTA'S REINDEER'S CAN FIND OUR HOME AND DELIVER OSCAR'S WELL DESERVED STOCKING

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND EXCITING ANTICIPATION AWAITS THE 1 HOUR REST!

GLORIOUS CRUNCHY AND FLUFFY GOOSE FAT ROASTED POTATOES

GOTTA LOVE OUR BRUSSEL SPROUTS WE DO!

MY CHRISTMAS TABLE READY FOR ONE OF THE BEST FAMILY MEALS OF THE YEAR

I just love Christmas Day Cooking, in all it is the anxious extra details that are added to a relatively simply roast dinner, but the expectation for a perfect family meal adds so much pressure, not like a traditional Sunday roast where the meal falls together without any stressful effort. We all cluck around the kitchen and my dad and I fuss over all the cooking while my mum is keeping full control from afar and just reminding me and dad to baste, par boil and drain, keeping our timing in check! I love the resting time of 1 hour for the turkey as then we get to roast the potatoes without having to juggle the oven space and all the resting juices baste the turkey and create the best every gravy of the Year!

Then we all dish up the meal together, Dad carves the turkey, many hands filling serving bowls, loading plates with turkey, sausage and stuffing going to everyone and then we all sit and pull our crackers, wear our hats, fill our plates and bellies and congratulate ourselves for all bringing together a perfect Christmas dinner, because after all it is the family that makes the dinner perfect not the food on this special day.

No comments:

LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.