Festive Favorites of Christmas Past

“December will be magic again
Don’t miss the brightest star
Kiss under Mistletoe
I want to hear you laugh
Don’t let the mistery go now.”
(Kate Bush)

Last Christmas we baked, cooked, roasted and boiled so much, it’s probably some sort of record!

Here’s a little ‘eclectic’ collection with lots of pics and some lists of Christmas favorites. Merry Christmas to you and may all your (baking) wishes come true! And a very happy New Year too!

Here are my not to miss suggestions to get you into the Christmas Baking Spirit! My favorite baking inspiration from other passionate bakers, my own favorite recipes neatly in a row, my best-loved Christmas movies, what to do with cranberries and….

Holiday Inspiration from Baking & Blogging Friends

David Lebovitz – holiday recipes
The Pink Whisk – 12 days of Baking Christmas
12 days of Holiday Macarons by Julia from Mélanger
Lots of Holiday Inspiration from Life’s a Feast

Favorite Festive Recipes from our Own Weekend Bakery

Our ‘Perfect Christmas’ Stollen (because without it Christmas would not be…
Cinnamon Sugar Crusted Christmas Scones
Merry Christmas Muffins
Baby it’s cold outside Cardamom Cake
Loaf with Walnuts, Figs and Prunes
Cranberry, White Chocolate & Candied Orange Peel Biscotti
Great result easy to bake Brioche for Christmas Brunch
Speculaas the way the Dutch make it
Speculaas gingerbread with buttermilk and rye

Festive Food Sites

BBC on food for Christmas
Epicurious on Christmas
Nordpole.com Mrs Claus Cookbook
More tv chef’s recipes
Susan Branch shows how to make your own Christmas Crackers

Books
These books are great classics, either for their recipes
or for the Christmas feeling they give you!

• Elizabeth David’s Christmas by Elizabeth David
• Christmas from the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch
• Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson
• Delia Smith’s Christmas by Delia Smith
• Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas

On my Wish List!

• Scandinavian Christmas by Trine Hahnemann
• The First Christmas in New England by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Feasts: Food for Sharing from Central and Eastern Europe by Silvena Rowe
• Any vintage Christmas baking book really…

What to do with Cranberries ‘tip’ 5

• A cranberry syrup and champagne cocktail
• cranberry and white chocolate cookies and biscotti
• cranberry and orange caramel sauce
• apple and cranberry crumble
• brownies with cranberries and white chocolate

Recently I made cranberry syrup from the new book by Tessa Kiros, Apples for jam. Mix this with lovely Prosecco and you have what Nigella calls ‘Christmas in a glass’! At another show I saw this topped by a cocktail maker who combined champagne with apple juice and cranberry juice and put some frozen berries in the glasses. It looked stunning.

My Christmas Cooking Songs Top 7!

• Nutcracker Suite (I’m a ballet girl) also the version by Brian Setzer orchestra
• Let it Snow – Bing Crosby
• Christmas wrapping -The Waitresses
• Sleigh Ride – The Carpenters
• Anne Sofie von Otter – Koppången (Swedish version)
• December – Kate Bush
• It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams

My Christmas Album Top 7!

• A Merry Christmas with Frank & Bing
• A Christmas Album – Barbra Streisand
• Christmas Collection – The Carpenters
• Carols from King’s – King’s College Choir
• A Christmas Album – London Symphony Orchestra
• Christmas with Julie Andrews
• Angels & Shepherds a 17th century Christmas

And it’s not Christmas until we’ve seen

• The Snowman (from the song ‘Walking in the air)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947 version with Natalie Wood)
• A Christmas Carol (1951)



• Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (the Original of course)
• Groundhog Day (don’t ask!)
• Jul i Svingen / Kerst met Linus (Norwegian / Dutch) all 24 episodes

Also nice to watch during the Season

• The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law
• Love Actually with Hugh Grant
• Little Women
• It’s a wonderful life with James Stewart
• The day after tomorrow – more snow and ice than you can handle
• Christmas episodes of your favorite tv series