We’ve had five very sociable and busy days of Christmas, which has been absolutely lovely, but today (Sunday 28) is a quiet one, with no plans at all. I’ve pulled on an old jumper, grazed on rice cakes and marmalade for breakfast (rounded off by a piece of fudge), and now I’ve made coffee. Just before Christmas, I badly wanted a break from writing as I’ve done so much of it this year (I haven’t counted the number of articles, but it was a lot!). Oddly, I find that I miss it, so I thought I’d ease back in and catch up here.
The garden is quiet, I haven’t been outside much, just a quick check on my greenhouse to make sure the sweet pea seedlings aren’t drying out. They are looking very lively. My bargain hellebores are still inside and looking okay, but it’s almost time to put them back in the fresh air. I will sow some early seeds soon, but have not yet decided what I’m going for. I think I will give the cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) a rest this year, as my garden isn’t ideal for it, and I’ll try to find another one-season-wonder climber (possibly a potato vine, but I’m still researching!).
In the meantime, I’ve been doing some cooking, and I have a couple of recipes to share, which would be good New Year’s Eve fare. I’ve made a Christmas tree bread and baked camembert combination three times so far this season. It’s ideal for a party and everyone who has tried it has loved it.
Here’s the recipe. It will comfortably serve six to eight people, as it’s quite rich, and it’s definitely best to offer this fresh from the oven.
10g dried fast action yeast
1 tablespoon runny honey
250ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
420-450g bread flour
1 beaten egg
A camembert cheese
Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl. Add the honey, salt, oil and warm water. Mix together, then add the flour.
Knead for about five minutes. Cover and rise for an hour.
Shape the dough into small balls. Lay on greaseproof paper on a baking tray, creating a triangular shape and leaving a gap in the middle for the cheese.
Leave to rise for 20 mins.
Egg wash the tops of the rolls. Bake at 230 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.
Bake the camembert cheese for 15-20 minutes until bubbling. You can add some rosemary sprigs if you like the flavour, or some dried cranberries.
Carefully slide the bubbling cheese into the cavity and serve, tearing off the rolls and dipping into the melted cheese.
Next up was mince pies. These are made with Josceline Dimbleby’s classic recipe for crumbly orange pastry, which can be found online. I customised bought mincemeat with extra grated apple, and tucked a fresh cranberry under each lid. They’re perfect for people with a less sweet tooth. I only make pastry from scratch once a year, and now is the time! Rough and rustic, but very tasty (best eaten warm).
We had a small street party in mid December, and I put together a table of home made canapés. I like the look of bought party food, but it never tastes good for me, so I prefer to make them.
Favourites are parsnip blinis with blue cheese (a Riverford recipe), mini poppadoms filled with mango salsa and classic smoked salmon blinis. It was all very well received, but the camembert bread was definitely the winner!
There are bulbs pushing through in the garden, and I can’t help looking ahead to spring. I feel as if we will definitely get some cold weather over the next month, so the green shoots might well pause for a while (how are my alliums already this tall in December?!). But everything is on the way, that’s the important thing.
Happy New Year to you all. I hope that 2025 is a kind and peaceful year for everyone.
