Thai curry paste making

Clockwise from top left . . .Ginger, onions, coriander, cumin, lemongrass, limes, lime leaves, salt, chillis, galangal paste and garlic

Satisfyingly blended to a paste with a little water

Some for later today

And more for the freezer

Friends round for afternoon tea

A few final turkey sandwiches, tuna and cucumber sandwiches, stollen, mincemeat cake and mince pies

Sloe gin

A sloe gin martini - sometimes homemade Christmas presents really are the best

A regular favourite

River Cafe slow cooked sausage pasta

A regular 'storecupboard staple', as long as you have 3 hours spare and some good Italian sausages in the freezer . . .

Christmas leftovers - Part 2

Turkey curry from scratch, using up the last of the bird

A good recipe from

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article6923156.ece

Holiday breakfast

A mid mornign breakfast, so making French toast from some brioche

Served with some gently stewed blueberries

Christmas leftovers - Part 1

Cold turkey and beef with hot dauphinoise potatoes

And plenty of mustard and homemade crabapple jelly

A traditional Christmas lunch

A fully loaded table

Turky, bread sauce and roast potatoes

The sprouts were rendered edible via the addition of bacon and chestnuts, although next year I think I'd cook this again without the addition of sprouts

Turkey, potatoes, parsnips, stuffing, sausages, carrots, sprouts, bread sauce and gravy

Prepping the turkey

Turkey was for boxing day, with more time for an enjoyable morning pottering around the kitchen

The turkey arrived better wrapped than some jewellery I've purchased . . .

A moment of relief as it did (just) fit in the roasting dish

And a stock made with the giblets

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas day was beef, for a quick cook after church

I started by coating it with dijon, garlic, rosemary, olive oil and seasoning

It was then roasted for no more than an hour

Served with roast potatoes, creamed leeks, carrots, brocolli and yorkshire pudding

Christmas snacking

The house is full of sweet things - a Christmas morning snacking plate of stollen, welsh cakes and mince pies

Ready for Christmas

A full fridge

A full larder

And a festively laid table

Ready for a weekend of feasting - beef on Christmas day, turkey boxing day and some great wines

Simple risotto

A simple risotto milanese with saffron and fresh, homemade chicken stock

Sunday roast

Roast loin of pork with a parsnip gratin, broccoli, pommes parmentier, carrots, stuffing and crackling

Improvised lunch

Some mini lamb burgers - seasoned with ground coriander, cumin, lemon juice and a little fresh coriander

Served with a homemade tomato and coriander salsa, some lettuce and natural yoghurt

The salsa was straightforward - finely diced cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli, red onion lime juice, coriander, olive oil and sasoning

Salade de chevre chaud

Goats' cheese toasts on a herb salad, with a balsamic dressing

Stroganoff

A beef stroganoff with wild rice

A simple but excellent recipe using just good fillet steak, mushrooms, onions, sour cream and butter