Newsletter November 2005

Culinary Christmas Gifts from Recipes4us. Order early - one less thing to think about !

When you get to the check-out just choose the option "If you do not currently have a PayPal account click here". You will not have to go through the process of signing up - we get your order immediately and payment is debited direct from your chosen card (including Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Delta, Electron, Solo and Switch).

This Book May contain Nuts is more than just a cookbook. As well as the 80 recipes (from carnivore to vegetarian, starters to desserts, simple to elegant, featuring many traditional dishes from global cuisines) it's gastronomically and educationally informative, A real gem of a cookery book worthy of adding to any collection.

years of experience has taught me that this is a good time to at least START thinking about Christmas

For instance, if you're planning on making your own Christmas cake or Puddings, now's the time to start if you want the best results.

I may have mentioned this before, but my mother-in-law was an excellent Christmas Pudding maker. Fortunately before she died, she passed her secrets on to me. Her secret was to make them early...NOW...and re-boil/steam then for a couple of hours every two weeks. The result was an incredibly dark rich pudding, a tablespoon of which was sufficient for me. Makes 1 medium sized pudding go a long way.

Then there's the Christmas cake. If you want to make a traditional cake with marzipan and icing, ideally, once you've covered the cake with the marzipan, you should wait a week before icing....longer if you wish and once iced, it will last for weeks in a cake tin. So why not start it NOW. One less thing to think about.

Why is it most of us only eat mince pies at Christmas? Strange but true. Ever thought about making your own mincemeat to go in them? It's quite different to shop-bought and really easy, although it should be kept for at least two of weeks after its been made so why not make some NOW. There are a couple of recipes on the site in the Preserves section.

What about the turkey? Yes, you can buy frozen ones in supermarkets and they're ok but I guarantee if you order a fresh one, you'll definitely taste and feel the difference. Feel? Look I don't know why, but the texture of fresh turkey meat is different...as with many meats.

I made the mistake a couple of years ago of going to my HUGE supermarket to buy a fresh turkey the morning of the 23rd, only to find they didn't have ANY left. I thought, "Aha! they'll bring them all out tomorrow because most people don't have fridges big enough to keep them for 2 days..." but no. When I enquired at the fresh meat counter, I was told they weren't getting any more in before they closed for the Christmas break. Where do they think we are all going to keep a 14lb bird for 3 days? So, if you want to get a fresh one from your supermarket, or anywhere else, you'd do well to order it NOW .

Turkey wasn't always traditionally served at Christmas. Before its arrival Goose was the norm. Why not try it for a change. Or why not go for something completely different. How about Venison? There are some wonderful venison and goose recipes on this site if you're unsure how to cook them. Many high street retailers don't sell venison roasting cuts so really, if you want to try it you should order it NOW.

And lastly gifts. It all gets pretty expensive nowadays, so apart from the items sold in our online shop (prices start from only £4,99 !), why not save some money by making some. I've found people love receiving homemade gifts, especially things they can eat. There are some recipes for home made confectionery on this site which would make lovely gifts. Just place them in a fancy box tied up with pretty ribbon. You can find them all if you use the search form and type in Confectionery. Oh, and don't forget home made chutneys, pickles or other preserves.

Happy Planning!

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