I bought the book on your recommendation, it arrived this morning just before leaving for holiday and this afternoon I have devoured it in the holiday cottage we’re staying at in North Norfolk. It’s the perfect book to read in such a cosy cottage and there are so many delicious recipes I will be making as soon as I get home that are seasonal rather than purely festive.
Inspired by this piece to make something from Lovett’s Just One Pan - so I made the brownies with raspberry and sea salt. Very very easy to make and incredibly satisfying. Also - and at risk of blowing my own horn - they actually look about 80-90% as good as the image in the book, which is incredibly satisfying.
It sounds so gross, doesn't it. But it's fragrant and scented and spiced and DELICIOUS and I will stop now because I see Ruth has given you the perfect recipe!
It’s so good, although I quite see that the words themselves don’t hold much appeal. And, it’s often made so badly that it probably reinforces any prejudice.
This is essentially Jane Grigson’s recipe to which I’ve made minor adjustments. You must use good quality white bread and don’t stint on the dairy products, either - this is not the place for skimmed milk. It serves eight and will keep in the fridge, cling filmed, for up to 24 hours.
425ml full cream milk
1 small onion, peeled
6 whole cloves
7-8 scrapings of nutmeg, or a pinch of ground mace
A pinch of hot chilli powder or cayenne pepper
100g fresh fine white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp double cream
Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan. Stud the onion with cloves and add it to the milk with the spices, salt and plenty of ground black pepper. Slowly bring the milk to just below boiling point then push the pan to one side and let the milk infuse for 30-45 minutes.
Scoop out the onion (and discard), put the pan back over a low heat, stir in the breadcrumbs, and keep stirring until the sauce is a rich, thick cream; it should be thick enough to just hold its shape, but not so thick you could make a snowman out of it.
If you are going to serve the sauce straight away, stir in the cream. Otherwise, refrigerate, reheat very gently, stirring frequently, and add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick. Stir the cream in just before serving.
I write my Christmas present list in August and start shopping in September . I’m obsessed with Christmas! I have ordered the book. What I’ll do is read it in its entirety and get used to it and then implement next year. Thank you so much for the recommendation . Can you recommend Christmas tableware (as if you weren’t busy enough) I seriously need to upgrade!
I too love bread sauce. Turkey is a vehicle for it and the shrub sounds delicious. We can make all these things for Thanksgiving too though my grown family prefers steak and I prefer salmon along with traditional fixings. Thanks for this. will be ordering the book too.
I am really not interested in turkey but the children mutinied the one year I tried a rib of beef. They said it was untraditional and went on and on about it. I sort of see their point though, and the bread sauce makes everything okay.
One of the best things about living in The Gambia is that I can skip Christmas altogether. I get the day off, but since the country is 98% Muslim, no one really cares. I am going to make a fabulously strong iced egg nog and spend the day on the beach. That's my advance planning.
Such a privilege to live here. And yes, delicious fresh fish and seafood, usually in a spicy tomato and onion sauce, eaten on the beach watching the fishermen bring in the next catch.
Oh, the green background has vanished from your logo (if that's the correct word). I rather liked it!
Christmas doesn't get mentioned chez moi until it's practically too late, but I have started watching Gilmore Girls, a show which had entirely passed me by. I'm enjoying it very much but do occasionally want to give Lorelai a sedative. Am I unique in this?
From the time you amended the heading lettering on your front page to the current version the logo on the top left corner of the front page has been showing with a solid mid green background on my tablet screen. Most mysterious!
Oh it was most def big enough to be noticeable. I really liked the green. And if you colour the logo in again you can always change the colour monthly/seasonally/whenever you're in the mood for tinkering ... It'll be appreciated by those of us who notice!
Love the idea of the celeriac and bacon and the shrub especially. And while I am no good at doing Christmas ahead, I do love to *think* about it early...
When you've written for a food magazine and year after year been asked to find something new to say about Christmas, no stones, plum or otherwise, are left unturned. I have had a proposal for a get-ahead Christmas cook book lurking in my computer for decades but have never been able to summon the enthusiasm to get it published. Bravo to Jane Lovett for actually doing it.
Over the years I’ve noticed younger family members eschewing Christmas pud in favour of something chocolate-laden and older members preferring custard to brandy butter. So here’s a clever wheeze for using up leftovers of the latter:
Weigh the softened brandy butter, then add the same weight in plain flour, half the weight in more softened butter and half the weight in semolina. Knead into a smooth dough, roll out to about an inch thick and spread into a greased baking tray. Prick the dough with a fork before cooking at 150C (140C fan) for an hour. Remove from the oven, slice immediately into desired shapes, then leave to cool thoroughly in the tin.
Now I am going to pretend it’s not happening, Christmas, that is.
I might have known you'd have some marvellous thing up your sleeve! How clever, also yum, thank you. Very much re chocolate rather than raisins etc - my lot clamour for a bûche de Noell every year (but then happily eat Christmas pudding). I'm not making one, and the place I've identified as selling good ones is in Hammersmith, which really doesn't help me - bringing giant log on train without it getting jogged feels improbable. Maybe in car with seatbelt?
Sorry, WAY TOO EARLY and frankly weird. Slow down! I am all for being organised and planning ahead but also aware that often the best laid plans go awry and the further ahead you plan the more likely life is to get in the way. What has become of us! It’s just Christmas! The idea of making things now to put in the freezer for Christmas is awful and the root of ALL the stress!
Fair enough, but for some of us the planning and deciding recipes etc is part of the fun of it. It's only one day and it goes by incredibly quickly - I like to eke out the enjoyment, like getting ready for a party. Often the most fun bit!
My copy arrived on Thursday and I agree it’s brilliant. I made the sausage roll wreath for a dinner party on Friday night to have with drinks instead of a starter. Great fun to make in a Blue Peter sort of way, looks impressive and not a crumb left! Definitely recommend. The croquettes look amazing and I will be making.
John Lewis shops lost my devotion when I spotted advent calendars for sale in AUGUST, and I'm on perilous ground with Christmas chat while still resisting socks, sweaters and soup. But THIS POST!!!...transformative and delectable and inspiring... and the descriptions of food that are as delicious as the illustrations...irresistible.
Love this. I have a bit of an aversion to thinking about Christmas before December (apart from cake & pudding making) however I am buying this book as I like the thought of a friend who’s a better cook by my side. I LOVE celeriac & the little bacon bites sound like heaven on a cocktail stick. I shall also have a geek at Jane’s other books. Thank you.
I have Jane Lovett’s Just One Pan and immediately she went up to Diana Henry status for me. I’m also a last-minuter who longs to be organised and I dream of being the perfect Christmas hostess - every year I secretly intend to freeze the gravy in November but never quite do. This might the push I need. I vowed no more Christmas cookery books after I bought Tom Parker Bowles’s F&M one (I love it) but Jane’s book is too tempting. Thank you for the recommendation
I bought the book on your recommendation, it arrived this morning just before leaving for holiday and this afternoon I have devoured it in the holiday cottage we’re staying at in North Norfolk. It’s the perfect book to read in such a cosy cottage and there are so many delicious recipes I will be making as soon as I get home that are seasonal rather than purely festive.
Inspired by this piece to make something from Lovett’s Just One Pan - so I made the brownies with raspberry and sea salt. Very very easy to make and incredibly satisfying. Also - and at risk of blowing my own horn - they actually look about 80-90% as good as the image in the book, which is incredibly satisfying.
I need this book! Seeing if it’s available here in the US. Definitely making the celeriac bacon bites 🥓
It's really good - new Christmas bible for me!
Can’t get it here yet, I’ll keep watching to see when I can!
I have never made or eaten bread sauce. What’s the appeal? It sounds so…….boring! What have I been missing?
It sounds so gross, doesn't it. But it's fragrant and scented and spiced and DELICIOUS and I will stop now because I see Ruth has given you the perfect recipe!
Thank you! I will, for the first time, make this for Christmas. Which will surprise the family but it’s time to shake things up.
It’s so good, although I quite see that the words themselves don’t hold much appeal. And, it’s often made so badly that it probably reinforces any prejudice.
This is essentially Jane Grigson’s recipe to which I’ve made minor adjustments. You must use good quality white bread and don’t stint on the dairy products, either - this is not the place for skimmed milk. It serves eight and will keep in the fridge, cling filmed, for up to 24 hours.
425ml full cream milk
1 small onion, peeled
6 whole cloves
7-8 scrapings of nutmeg, or a pinch of ground mace
A pinch of hot chilli powder or cayenne pepper
100g fresh fine white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp double cream
Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan. Stud the onion with cloves and add it to the milk with the spices, salt and plenty of ground black pepper. Slowly bring the milk to just below boiling point then push the pan to one side and let the milk infuse for 30-45 minutes.
Scoop out the onion (and discard), put the pan back over a low heat, stir in the breadcrumbs, and keep stirring until the sauce is a rich, thick cream; it should be thick enough to just hold its shape, but not so thick you could make a snowman out of it.
If you are going to serve the sauce straight away, stir in the cream. Otherwise, refrigerate, reheat very gently, stirring frequently, and add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick. Stir the cream in just before serving.
I write my Christmas present list in August and start shopping in September . I’m obsessed with Christmas! I have ordered the book. What I’ll do is read it in its entirety and get used to it and then implement next year. Thank you so much for the recommendation . Can you recommend Christmas tableware (as if you weren’t busy enough) I seriously need to upgrade!
Yes, will do, have made a mental note. I very much like the idea of letting the contents percolate and implementing them next year.
I too love bread sauce. Turkey is a vehicle for it and the shrub sounds delicious. We can make all these things for Thanksgiving too though my grown family prefers steak and I prefer salmon along with traditional fixings. Thanks for this. will be ordering the book too.
I am really not interested in turkey but the children mutinied the one year I tried a rib of beef. They said it was untraditional and went on and on about it. I sort of see their point though, and the bread sauce makes everything okay.
One of the best things about living in The Gambia is that I can skip Christmas altogether. I get the day off, but since the country is 98% Muslim, no one really cares. I am going to make a fabulously strong iced egg nog and spend the day on the beach. That's my advance planning.
Oh wow, how amazing to live in the Gambia! Delicious fish?
Such a privilege to live here. And yes, delicious fresh fish and seafood, usually in a spicy tomato and onion sauce, eaten on the beach watching the fishermen bring in the next catch.
Oh, the green background has vanished from your logo (if that's the correct word). I rather liked it!
Christmas doesn't get mentioned chez moi until it's practically too late, but I have started watching Gilmore Girls, a show which had entirely passed me by. I'm enjoying it very much but do occasionally want to give Lorelai a sedative. Am I unique in this?
No. That is the correct response. But what green background? I never had one! How mysterious.
From the time you amended the heading lettering on your front page to the current version the logo on the top left corner of the front page has been showing with a solid mid green background on my tablet screen. Most mysterious!
Oh the logo! Yes, I made it green and I loved it, but it's so fricking small that I decided it was illegible. It may yet return...
Oh it was most def big enough to be noticeable. I really liked the green. And if you colour the logo in again you can always change the colour monthly/seasonally/whenever you're in the mood for tinkering ... It'll be appreciated by those of us who notice!
Love the idea of the celeriac and bacon and the shrub especially. And while I am no good at doing Christmas ahead, I do love to *think* about it early...
Me too, it gives me a warm feeling. I made the c&b earlier in the week - it is perfection.
When you've written for a food magazine and year after year been asked to find something new to say about Christmas, no stones, plum or otherwise, are left unturned. I have had a proposal for a get-ahead Christmas cook book lurking in my computer for decades but have never been able to summon the enthusiasm to get it published. Bravo to Jane Lovett for actually doing it.
Over the years I’ve noticed younger family members eschewing Christmas pud in favour of something chocolate-laden and older members preferring custard to brandy butter. So here’s a clever wheeze for using up leftovers of the latter:
Weigh the softened brandy butter, then add the same weight in plain flour, half the weight in more softened butter and half the weight in semolina. Knead into a smooth dough, roll out to about an inch thick and spread into a greased baking tray. Prick the dough with a fork before cooking at 150C (140C fan) for an hour. Remove from the oven, slice immediately into desired shapes, then leave to cool thoroughly in the tin.
Now I am going to pretend it’s not happening, Christmas, that is.
I might have known you'd have some marvellous thing up your sleeve! How clever, also yum, thank you. Very much re chocolate rather than raisins etc - my lot clamour for a bûche de Noell every year (but then happily eat Christmas pudding). I'm not making one, and the place I've identified as selling good ones is in Hammersmith, which really doesn't help me - bringing giant log on train without it getting jogged feels improbable. Maybe in car with seatbelt?
Sorry, WAY TOO EARLY and frankly weird. Slow down! I am all for being organised and planning ahead but also aware that often the best laid plans go awry and the further ahead you plan the more likely life is to get in the way. What has become of us! It’s just Christmas! The idea of making things now to put in the freezer for Christmas is awful and the root of ALL the stress!
Fair enough, but for some of us the planning and deciding recipes etc is part of the fun of it. It's only one day and it goes by incredibly quickly - I like to eke out the enjoyment, like getting ready for a party. Often the most fun bit!
My copy arrived on Thursday and I agree it’s brilliant. I made the sausage roll wreath for a dinner party on Friday night to have with drinks instead of a starter. Great fun to make in a Blue Peter sort of way, looks impressive and not a crumb left! Definitely recommend. The croquettes look amazing and I will be making.
That was the other one I was going to extract! But then I thought I'd better have a drink. Will be making it asap. The croquettes - I cannot wait.
Bread sauce and roast potatoes are king for me too! YUM.
Bread sauce, roast potatoes and some kind of green would do me really happily. And a cheese board. And Turkish Delight.
John Lewis shops lost my devotion when I spotted advent calendars for sale in AUGUST, and I'm on perilous ground with Christmas chat while still resisting socks, sweaters and soup. But THIS POST!!!...transformative and delectable and inspiring... and the descriptions of food that are as delicious as the illustrations...irresistible.
Oh PHEW. Needs must, Juliet. I am still resisting tights etc but I am quite chilly now.
Love this. I have a bit of an aversion to thinking about Christmas before December (apart from cake & pudding making) however I am buying this book as I like the thought of a friend who’s a better cook by my side. I LOVE celeriac & the little bacon bites sound like heaven on a cocktail stick. I shall also have a geek at Jane’s other books. Thank you.
I technically share the aversion (well, ish - late October), but NEEDS MUST. I made the bacon & celeriac last week - utterly delicious.
I have Jane Lovett’s Just One Pan and immediately she went up to Diana Henry status for me. I’m also a last-minuter who longs to be organised and I dream of being the perfect Christmas hostess - every year I secretly intend to freeze the gravy in November but never quite do. This might the push I need. I vowed no more Christmas cookery books after I bought Tom Parker Bowles’s F&M one (I love it) but Jane’s book is too tempting. Thank you for the recommendation
I completely agree - she went up to DH status for me too after something I ate at a friend's house, and ever since. Here's to AN ORGANISED TIME!