Having spent this time last year in the scorching hot Australian heat swapping turkey for cold ham, seafood and salads, I was looking forward to being back amongst the traditions and festivities of jolly old England again. Whilst I certainly enjoyed a dip in the lake and beers on the beach last year in Aus, Christmas isn’t quite the same without wrapping up by the fire and sitting up to a feast of food and drinks.
Waking on Christmas morning at home, we were treated to clear blue skies as the sun glistened through the crisp winter air. After opening our presents sipping some bubbly, we drove over to my Auntie’s house in Surrey. I was thrilled to be wearing my fabulous new prescription sunglasses by Kenzo.
As always my Auntie and Uncle’s home was exquisitely decorated with tasteful touches of Christmas and aromas of the roast dinner cooking away welcoming us as we arrived.
It was a very much scaled down family affair for us this year as our international family continues to expand. Nevertheless it was lovely to be with close family again and soak up the festivities as we drank and ate wonderful food. Starter was Jamie Oliver’s seafood cocktail with smoked salmon, prawns and a thousand island dressing – a classic Christmas entree.
The main event was of course a traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings including my favourite bread sauce with leeks. After enjoying a perfectly matched white wine to have with my starter, I moved onto red to compliment the rich flavours of dinner. Every single mouthful was scrumptious!
After such a culinary delight, we all slumped on the sofa and kicked back to watch the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. Later we served the cheese along with an assortment of deserts including mince pies, Christmas pudding and a decedent cream and chocolate choux pastry. A midnight Baileys finished me off before I curled up in bed feeling very merry indeed, the way it should be 😉
Dani Aneka 