Snow on holiday eve or just a chill in the air?
A light snowfall on Christmas Eve and a sudden thaw on Boxing Day will suit me nicely.
Most memorable holiday memory?
It has to be the excitement of waking on Christmas morning when it was just starting to get light and seeing what was in the woollen stocking hanging at the end of the bed – or rather hearing, because the tissue-wrapped tangerine that was always at the bottom would rustle as you hauled the stocking up the bed towards you, and the handful of nuts in the toe would rattle together.
Did you eat popcorn balls as a kid? If so, do you still?
No, they weren’t part of my Christmas while growing up. I only eat popcorn now if I go to the cinema.
Real tree or artificial? Green or white?
A gold tinsel tree, actually, that my son fell in love with when he was very small.
What do you do on holiday eve?
The house is clean and decorated, there is enough food and drink in the house to withstand a small siege, and my loved ones are all home: time to relax and just chill out for a while.
What are your holiday plans this year?
A quiet time walking the dog, catching up with all the films I was too busy to watch during the year, phoning friends and family, reading, talking, eating way too much…
What’s the holiday dish your family can’t go without?
We always have roast duck for dinner on Christmas day.
Please share a holiday recipe.
MINCEMEAT FLAPJACKS
These are very easy to make!
Ingredients:
4oz butter
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
2 oz Demerara sugar (or a soft, dark brown sugar, if you want a slightly ‘treacly’ taste).
5 heaped tablespoons of mincemeat, either bought or home-made
5 oz rolled oats
Method:
Preheat oven to gas mark 3, 160 C, 325 F and grease a seven inch baking tin. If using a cake tin instead, then I would line the base with baking paper, too.
Melt together the sugar, butter and syrup in a pan over a low heat, then stir in the mincemeat and, once warmed through, the oats.
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