My Christmas Reading List

I love this time of year for reading. I look forward to those relaxing winter days in front of the fire with my nose in a book with a festive theme. I've five books to read over the Christmas period and I am very happy.

Books mentioned in the video

Crime at Christmas by C H B Kitchin

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

One Day in December by Josie Silver

Winter Without You by Beth Good

Christmas Pudding: A Novel by Nancy Mitford

You might also enjoy:

My Christmas Reading List

From 2017

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Five cosy Christmas crime novels

New video upload about five brilliant cosy crime novels to read over the Christmas period.

I love to hibernate over the holiday season with a cosy crime novel or two whilst sipping hot chocolate in front of a fire. The weather outside may be frightful but inside I'm in heaven.

Books mentioned:

The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay https://amzn.to/2R16v4V

Murder at the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown https://amzn.to/2S8KzVP

A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer https://amzn.to/2S47bqj

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie https://amzn.to/2zlyLZ9

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie https://amzn.to/2OWFoGg

(Links are affiliate links at no cost to yourself).

You might also enjoy:

Five Beautiful Christmas Books

How to Make Christmas Biscuits

We ate pancakes for breakfast and enjoyed a game of Pictionary once the sticky syrup had been wiped away. There was a homemade soup for lunch: onions, potatoes, leeks, carrots and broccoli with a touch of garam masala with sprinkly bits of bacon and croutons crisped in the bacon fat. As the light outside started to disappear there was a game of monopoly whilst we tucked into some ginger spiced Christmas biscuits. We brought the Christmas tree inside and set it up ready for decorating today. A simple day.

A wonderful day.

RECIPE FOR CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

~ You will need ~

Baking trays covered in baking parchment, rolling pin and cookie cutters.

~ Ingredients ~

• 50g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 300g self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 3 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 4 tbsp milk

~ Method ~

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees (fan).
2. In a saucepan weigh out the butter, caster sugar and golden syrup. Place onto the hob over a low heat until combined.
3. In a bowl combine the flour, salt and spices.
4. Stir in the liquid then add as much milk as you need to make a firm dough.
5. Roll out onto a floured surface at about half a centimetre thick.
6. Cut out the shapes and place onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until slightly golden.
8. Decorate with icing or keep plain.

Five Gorgeous Book Gifts for My Daughter

I seem to have a bit of a problem. I cannot stop buying books for my nine-year-old daughter. She adores books as much as me, if not more so, and she'll read anything: fiction, non-fiction, recipe books...

So I thought I'd share the books I've discovered for her lately. There are some real beauties out there. Some she has already thanks to a recent birthday, and some - shhh, don't tell her, will be in her Christmas stocking.

Incidentally I have five books listed here but I could've gone on indefinitely. So I've created a Pinterest board of book gift ideas for any member of the family. I'll keep adding to it every day as I hunt out more.

NON-FICTION BOOKS IDEAS FOR CHILDREN

I say 'for children' but these first two are aimed at girls. However, that doesn't mean boys shouldn't read them.

Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World 

Beautifully illustrated and written in an easily understandable way (my daughter loves it and I found it great to read, too) this is a perfect introduction to just a few of the most incredible women who helped shaped the world we live in.

List of women featured: Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawa, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls

I constantly tell my daughter she can do anything and be anyone so I loved the idea behind this book. Like the book above it introduces us to some remarkable women and their extraordinary lives, but this book includes 100 of them. From Ada Lovelace to Malala, Amelia Earhart to Michelle Obama. Described as being a "true fairy tale for heroines who definitely don't need rescuing".

FICTION

The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell

My daughter has already read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's about Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages.

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

Shortlisted for the Costa Chirldren's Book Award 2017 this is about a group of four children who find themselves in the jungle when their plane crashes.

RECIPE BOOK

Jolly Good Food: A Children's Cookbook Inspired by the Stories of Enid Blyton

Seriously, I don't know if this is a Christmas present for my daughter or myself. Written by Allegra McEvedy this has 42 recipes inspired by Enid Blyton's books.

How to make Christmas Dinner Preparations Less Stressful

I'm not a big one for writing 'how to' posts but I felt I had to share this as, for me, it is a Christmas Day saviour. I've been doing this now for, ooh, eight years. Sometimes we have six of us for Christmas dinner. Occasionally we have twelve. Mainly we have ten. This year we have just the four of us. But however many we have I always do what I've written below. I swear by it.

So if, like me, you insist on making everything for the Christmas Dinner from scratch, but end up getting utterly overwhelmed on the day, then this post is my Christmas present for you. 

And for those who get a bit sniffy about making and freezing in advance then do feel free to skip this post. 

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One of my favourite Christmas traditions is preparing the Christmas dinner a few weeks before the big day. In advance I make, then freeze, the Christmas Gravy, the roast potatoes, the pigs in blankets, the stuffing and the bread sauce.

Yes, I could get frozen versions of all the above. But I have to make everything from scratch when it comes to a roast dinner. I just don't find the alternatives taste right. Except that is, for stuffing. I just cannot convince my family that homemade stuffing is as good as a box of Paxo sage & onion. But I do add a beaten egg and a blob of butter to the mix so it's almost homemade.

Obviously I like to prepare then freeze in advance because I like to be organised on the day and not because I have a craving to cook and listen to Christmas songs and to eat bread sauce by the tablespoonful... Okay, yes it is because I have a craving for bread sauce but also it means that instead of getting all hot and sweaty and shouty as I prepare the Christmas meal I have reduced my jobs by half and, if I have drunk a little too much Buck's Fizz, it really doesn't matter.

I should point out that I love making the Christmas dinner. I love preparing it. And I love eating it. (And I love that feeling afterwards when I know all my Christmas Jobs are now done and I can sit watching TV whilst grazing on Quality Street).

But because of this I am a bit of a control freak and do not allow many people to get involved unless it is to prepare the sprouts, carrots, leeks and so on on the actual day itself. (I'm also happy for them to wash up and prepare the table. I'm not that much of a control freak).

However, I hate peeling potatoes. Hate it. So one of the first things I do is to get that bit done with way before the big day.

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How to prepare your Christmas Roast Potatoes in advance:

• Get your potatoes and peel them. Cut them into half. Maybe thirds. You don't want them too big so they take ages to roast but you also don't want them too small so they turn to mush.

• Rinse them then cover with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

• Add salt and reduce to a simmer.

• Cook for about five minutes. Drain then spread out onto a baking tray to cool.

• Sprinkle with a little plain flour or semolina.

• Once cool you can then cover in a bit of cling film or foil and freeze them on the tray.

• Once they are solidly frozen remove from the tray and place in plastic food bags. Seal and return to the freezer.

On the day:

• Get your roasting pan nice and hot with the fat of your choice. I like to get my turkey/chicken cooked and resting then I turn the oven up for the potatoes.

• Remove the roasting pan from the oven and tip the frozen potatoes into the fat (watch out for hot splashes!)

• Cook as you would roast potatoes normally but you'll need a little extra time as they're (obviously) frozen.

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So the roast potatoes are done and nestled happily in the freezer. That is one pressure out the way (my family are huge fans of roast potatoes). The next item on my list, which also makes the meal for me, is the Christmas Gravy. 

The Christmas Gravy can make or break the meal. Personally I like my meal swimming in the delicious brown liquid but each to his/her own - you might only want a bit on your turkey/chicken (I say turkey/chicken by the way because we have a large chicken - a cockerel - on Christmas Day. I find turkey too dry and not as delicious.)

Making Christmas Gravy in advance is something I read Jamie Oliver did years ago. He calls it 'Get Ahead Gravy'. So now I do it, too, but I have slightly adapted his version. For example I do not add star anise like he does. We find the flavour is quite over-powering on the Christmas Dinner.

I use this gravy as my base so it can be quite thick once it goes into the freezer. On Christmas Eve I remove from the freezer and allow to defrost. Then on the day I place it back into the casserole pot and add the juice from the meat and the liquid from the vegetables as and when they become available. This thins it down to the right consistency as well as adding even more flavour.

How to prepare your Christmas Gravy in advance:

• In a roasting tin that can also be used on the hob (or use a large casserole pot) place two quartered onions, two carrots cut into half, a stick of celery chopped, streaky bacon (smoked or non depending on preference), bay leaves, sage and rosemary and place on top six chicken wings.

• Drizzle olive oil over the lot then place in the oven to roast for about 40 minutes.

• Remove from the oven and transfer to the hob. Now you need to fry the meat and vegetables in order to get the brown colour of the gravy.

• Add some port (or sherry or red wine or none) and allow the alcohol to cook off.

• Reduce the heat slightly and sprinkle with plain flour - I would probably use 2-3 heaped tablespoons but it depends how much you want to make - and stir in.

• Add 2 -3 pints of boiling water and mix.

• Simmer for half an hour stirring every now and again.

• Taste, season then push through a sieve to remove all the bits.

• Allow to cool then pour into a freezable container and place into the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• When you are making the dinner pop it into a casserole dish with plenty of room to spare.

• Add the meat juices and vegetable water as and when it becomes available.

• Taste and test for seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce and allow to simmer for a short while.

• Pour into pre-heated gravy boats and it's done.

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Okay, so now two of the biggest and most important Christmas Dinner jobs are done and in the freezer. At this point I start to relax a little.

Now we need to assemble the pigs in blankets, make the bread sauce and prepare the stuffing.

How to prepare your Pigs in Blankets in advance:

• You will need good quality chipolatas, streaky bacon, fresh sage and some cocktail sticks. Enough for however many guests you have.

• Take the chipolatas and cut into halves.

• Cut the bacon into half, too, so each pig in blanket will be half a chipolata and half a slice of bacon.

• Wrap the bacon half around the chipoltata half and tuck in a piece of sage.

• Secure with a cocktail stick.

• Place in freezer-proof container.

• Repeat until all have been wrapped.

• Place container in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• Place on a baking tray and cook at 180 fan for about 20 minutes.

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How to prepare your Christmas Stuffing in advance:

Now this is probably a non-essential but it can save you a bit of faffing about on the day. Like I said above I always use a packet stuffing, Paxo. 

• You will need a freezer to oven bowl.

• Make your stuffing according to the packet instructions.

• Add a blob of butter and a beaten egg. Mix in.

• Allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight.

• Cook as per the packet instructions.

And now for my favourite bit:

How to Prepare your Christmas Day Bread Sauce in advance:

• In a small heavy-based saucepan pour in a pint of full cream milk.

• Peel an onion and stud with a few whole cloves.

• Place the onion in the milk and add a bay leaf or two.

• Bring the milk to the boil. Then switch the heat off, place the lid on and allow to cool/infuse with the onion and bay leaf left in the milk for at least an hour. (You could even leave in the fridge overnight).

• Remove the onion, cloves and bay.

• If liked you could then finely dice the onion and keep on one side. The cloves and bay can be discarded.

• Take half a loaf of white sliced bread. Ideally a day or two old. Remove the crusts and cut the slices roughly into quarters.

• Place the milk back on the hob on a low heat and add the bread. Stir in and allow it to 'melt' into the liquid.

• Add the onion (if liked) and season.

• Mix, let the sauce become the right consistency, then add a little grated nutmeg.

• Allow to cool, place in a freezer-proof container and place in the freezer.

On the day:

• Remove from the freezer on Christmas Eve and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight. (Your fridge is going to be quite full so be prepared.)

• On the day place the bread sauce into a saucepan and heat gently. Add a little double cream and serve.

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And that, my friends, is that. You are now entitled to be a little smug.

All you have to do on the day is to cook the meat (my advice is to do this in advance, remove from the oven and cover in foil and a towel or two to keep warm - although do remember this will make it cook for a little while longer) then turn up the oven and pop in the potatoes. After half an hour or so add the pigs in blankets and stuffing. Place the gravy and bread sauce on the hob and cook the vegetables.

And enjoy. That's the most important bit. 

Oh and make someone else tidy as you cook. 

Happy Christmas!

5 Beautiful Christmas Books

It's coming up to that time of year. And, from December 1st, I like to start my Christmas reading. Last year I read, The Santa Klaus Murder and enjoyed experiencing Christmas at the same time as the characters. (Though, thankfully, the real Father Christmas was not suspected of murder!)

This year I've a few more books to read and all of them are collections of short stories. Perfect for dipping in and out of as you have a cuppa and a breather.

I decided to chat about them and show them in more detail on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to subscribe to my channel I'd be most grateful! 

The five books are:

The Santa Klaus Murder

Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered - by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus - with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day. 

Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson

Quite possibly my favourite Christmas book - ever. This is a gorgeous book of recipes, short stories and beautiful illustrations.

A Merry Christmas by Louisa May Alcott

A beautiful selection of Christmas stories, from 19th century America, from the author of Little Women. 

Round the Christmas Fire

A selection of stories from well-known authors including Kenneth Graham, John Cheever, Sue Towsend, Nancy Mitford, Dylan Thomas, Charles Dickens, John Julius Norwich, P.G. Wodehouse and Stella Gibbons.

A Snow Garden by Rachel Joyce

Six wonderful Christmas stories. 

To find out more about these books then watch my YouTube video below:

If you'd like more Christmas book ideas then you might enjoy: