'Merry Christmas'! 'Mulled wine'? 'Mince pie'? 'Sausage roll'? 'Pudding'? 'Fizz'? 'Anyone for a top up'? 'Pass the Bread Sauce please,' 'Could I have the gravy'? 'Have some more Brandy Butter,' 'Are there any more pigs in blankets'? 'This turkey is delicious'!And my personal favourite:
'Where's the Brandy'? followed by 'Who's got the matches'?
My first Christmas away from home and in a different country. It didn't snow; but the weather outside has certainly been frightful, the winking christmas tree lights look so delightful, and there was no place we had to go!
The English Christmas was fantastic. There's something very festive about the warm glow of lights through frosty windows, rugging up and stepping out the front door and instantly feeling your nose sting with cold as your breath hangs in the air like your own personal fog.
Dismal weather becomes a non-issue, as everyone dons hat, scarf, gloves and coat; and flocks to the streets to join the throng of dedicated christmas-shoppers. Up and down the High Street they trudge, bags in tow bursting at the seams. Even small children seem to understand that now is not the time to make a fuss, as they trail along dutifully behind mummy's growing collection of shopping bags, keeping lingering in front of shiny stores to a minimum.
The Mr and Mrs of the family were definitely host and hostess with the mostest, and lunch was a sight to behold; with an entire baked turkey, a huge serano ham, roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots and sprouts, pigs in blankets (small sausages wrapped in bacon), home made sausage rolls, cranberry sauce, gravy and bread sauce. All of this followed by home made mince pies, home made meringues (amazing), custard, brandy butter, and a traditional christmas pudding - which was ceremoniously doused in brandy and set alight! Woo! I can add some new traditions to my list of things to take back with me...
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| One flaming pudding! |
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| One large baked turkey |
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| And a real live christmas tree! |
Wow, what a sumptuous spread - with an army to eat it too, no doubt!
ReplyDeleteWhat an experience! There is a lot to be said of friends to celebrate with, and how they make a huge difference.
Fantastic!
Looks fabulous! Had a laugh at the brandy and matches! I remember my Mum doing that way back when we also had silver threepence in our pudding! Somewhere the tradition of setting the pudding alight stopped. Maybe lighting a fire on a 40 degree day seemed a bit counter intuitive, or just crazy! Ha ha. Also, there was probably a total fire ban!!! Ha ha ha. :)
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