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How to Survive Cooking Christmas Dinner
Christmas Day is nearly here and I am oh so ready for the best part – the food. My first experience of cooking Christmas dinner was at 19 for 2 families I didn’t know. I had just started my ski season and this was our first week of guests. It felt like I’d been thrown into the deep end! Thankfully, it all went smoothly and I even had time to ski during the day. Since then, I’ve cooked a fair few Christmas dinners and have 2 seasons worth of cooking 3-course meals 6 nights a week under my belt, so I feel well versed in putting on a spread. With so…
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How to Ice Your Christmas Cake
When it comes to cake, no cake is complete without icing. With such a full-bodied, or in my case alcohol heavy, Christmas cake to ice sometimes simple is best. This year, I baked two Christmas cakes; one traditional and one Scottish Whisky Dundee Cake. I’ve been “feeding” them over several weeks and it’s safe to say they’re well fed! With it nearing Christmas, they’re ready to be iced. I’ve opted for two types of icing and always favouring an easy option, I’ve chosen to glaze one and use ready-rolled icing for the other. If you like quick and easy steps to ice your Christmas cake, this is the guide for…
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Creating the Best Mince Pies
In my eyes, mince pies are a necessity at Christmas. I could quite happily work my way through a whole box. I’ve made them throughout the years but never quite nailed the recipe. So for the last few weeks, I’ve been testing and trialling a few variations to create my own. I tried a traditional recipe, chocolate pastry, using caster sugar versus icing sugar, adding marzipan or almond flour, plus varying the quantities of mincemeat to pastry to get the perfect ratio. Here I take you through what worked (and didn’t) with the recipes I tried and you’ll see how I’ve incorporated elements from them all to create, in my…
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Ginger Cake with Orange Syrup
With Christmas around the corner, it’s time for something spiced and delicious, and this ginger cake with orange syrup is just what you need. This recipe gives off similar vibes to sticky toffee pudding, which is one of my favourite desserts, and you honestly need this cake in your life. When I think of using ginger in baking, I tend to associate it with gingerbread cookies. But, if I’m being honest I’m not that much of a fan. They’re usually hard, brittle and overpowered with spice. So, I’ve created this ginger cake as an alternative. The combination of ginger and cinnamon makes this cake delicately spiced which can be enjoyed…
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Christmas Pudding Double Chocolate Cookies
December is here and the festive season has arrived! Once again I can only question how has the year flown by so quickly?! Before we know it it’ll be 2022 and time to attempt those new year’s resolutions again. But for now, it’s time to indulge and these double chocolate cookies are the perfect way to do so. Crunchy on the outside, soft in the centre and deliciously sweet throughout. I don’t often bake cookies as they’re usually easier to buy (and scoff), but this recipe is simple and quick. There’s no resting time and they bake in 12 minutes, so you’ll have a batch of tasty chocolatey delights in…
