Ten Days 'til Christmas

Well, I haven’t posted for a fortnight, so I bet you think I’ve been sitting around doing nothing. Au contraire, mes amis.... the Christmas tree and decorations are up, the lights in the front garden are twinkling and I have also been very industrious in the kitchen. Although I haven't cooked anything new I’ve made a batch of Not Sausage Rolls, a batch of Cheese and Onion Mini Quiches, Christmas Red Cabbage, Mushroom and Sherry Sauce, Mushroom Duxelles for our Nut Roast Wellington and two batches of Mince Pies.

This little lot is all residing snugly in the freezer ready for dipping into when required, although I have to say the stock of mince pies is diminishing rapidly because Mr Simply Veg keeps eating them!

Much as I love food, food shopping is really starting to get on my nerves now; everyone seems to have gone into “I must buy as much food as possible - the shops are closed for one whole day” mode! Now, I confess I’m as guilty as anyone of stuffing the freezer and pantry to the gunwales at this time of year, but from the way some people are staggering out of the supermarkets, eyes glazed and trolleys heaving under the weight of food, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were preparing for a six month siege! What on earth do they do with all that food?

For a bit of light relief I think I might retrieve my Christmas cake from the depths of the pantry tomorrow and give it its festive topping of marzipan and dried fruit and nuts. This is the best bit about Christmas; all the nice foodie bits and pieces which make it special. It’s just the shopping I hate…