As you limber up for the big day, and anticipation mounts for that all-important Christmas lunch, here is a little extra inspiration and guidance to ensure that festive feast is all you want it to be.
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We are halfway to Christmas Eve—how did that happen? It is time to plan the food shopping, and what to make when, and while we can’t do your shopping or organise your diary for you, we can certainly make sure that you have all the ideas, recipes, and ingredient lists you could possibly need. Christmas ckbk-style is a tempting proposition!
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Born near Frankfurt in Germany, Heidrun Metzler’s childhood was gloriously flavored by the delicious baking of her mother, aunt and grandmother. Traditional German baking, recipes handed down through generations, and with a careful balance of sweetness, of nuts and dried fruits and buttery goodness, were a constant and a joy. After she moved to the US in 1978, and began her journey to becoming a food writer and educator, recreating those bakes, and helping others to understand and achieve fine results with her recipes, became central to her work
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For this year’s ckbk gift guide, we asked members of the ckbk team to each suggest both a favourite ingredient and a kitchen gadget that would make a great gift. Of course, it goes without saying that if you are looking for a gift for a food lover, the very first thing on your shopping list should be a ckbk gift subscription. For a strictly limited time, you can pick gift subscriptions half price with our BLACKFRIDAY24 special offer. So why not order a handful and cross several gifts off your list at once?
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For those of us longing to be festive, we officially announce that Christmas prep is on! In Great Britain the last Sunday before advent is Stir Up Sunday—November 24 this year. A Victorian tradition, this is the day to make those Christmas treats that need to be made well ahead—such as Christmas pudding, fruitcake, and the mincemeat for mince pies. Several weeks of maturing and being ‘fed’ regularly with spirits ensures they are at their tip top best when the time to serve them comes around.
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With Christmas day fast approaching, are you still charging wildly along the high street in the hopes of finding something your sister will actually like? Leave the crowds behind, the perfect gift for any food lover in your life – is there anyone in your life that isn’t! – is at your fingertips.
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No matter how many office parties or meetups with friends and family the coming weeks hold, Christmas Day itself is central to the holiday season. And for the cook of the household that can mean a lot of work and expectation. Tip one: delegate. Tip two: take your time to look through the wealth of Christmas recipes and resources on ckbk to make your Christmas lunch a pleasure to cook and eat.
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Until bullying vanilla swept them aside, the flavours of orange blossom and of roses were the UK’s favourites in both sweet and savoury food. Following vanilla’s all-conquering rise, flower waters are now comparatively rarely used in Europe and the USA (except in better restaurants from the Near and Middle East and the Indian continent).
What a lot we are missing, ignoring the flavour heritage of many centuries of British cuisine that has fascinating roots…
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Nick Malgieri, baker and former executive pastry chef at Windows on the World, is the James Beard Award-winning author of numerous bestselling cookbooks which are now available on ckbk. With the holiday season approaching, we asked Nick to share his top tips for baking successful holiday cookies.
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Does your heart sink at the number of people to cook for, and the number of meals to be cooked, at this time of year? We’re here to help you turn the marathon of Christmas cooking from a chore into a joy. Whether you need your hand held, or want to explore new recipes, we have tips, and tricks, and scrumptious dishes galore.
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The American holiday of Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November – this year November 24. Its origins lie in various days for thanksgiving across US history, and since the 1800s has become established as a date that brings families across the US together. Cooking for a crowd brings its challenges, even before you factor in everyone’s expectation of the special meal. Fear not, we’ve got everything you need to keep everyone happy.
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Food historian Annie Gray is a familiar to many through her regular appearances on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. Annie has a passion for cookbooks, the older and more eclectic the better, and we are proud to have several of her own cookbooks on ckbk, including The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook and How to Cook the Victorian Way with Mrs Crocombe. Annie’s most recent cookbook, At Christmas We Feast which was added to ckbk this week, looks at the culinary traditions and mythologies which mark the festive season.
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This cooking demo + Q&A with Chef Yannick Anton from Le Cordon Bleu will teach you to make fantastic canapés perfect for festive parties, and features two recipes from the Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection series.
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Christmas celebrations may not have gone exactly to plan this year. Gatherings may be smaller and prone to last-minute adjustments, yet the urge to observe and celebrate festive traditions seems stronger than ever. We hope the recipes and ideas from these books, from classic cookies to traditional dishes, will provide help in marking this most unusual of Christmases. Here’s our guide to help you get into the spirit of the season.
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You love the holidays, but how much do you really know about Christmas foods? Take our quiz to test what you know.
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One of Britain’s most popular food writers takes a look at her book, Cooking for Christmas, and the recipes that have stayed popular since its publication.
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