Dear readers and friends,
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that Christmas day has brought you joy and fun, however you are spending it. We all have our different family rituals, cultural traditions, or Christmas quirks. I'm not a fan of boiled brussels sprouts (they're much nicer stir fried, trust me!) so if I have a full Christmas dinner and someone has made sprouts, I'll agree to have my one sprout a year! I know there has been hot debate on whether Yorkshire pudding can be part of a Christmas dinner, and I say if you want Yorkshire puds, have them! It's YOUR Christmas!
Whether Santa brought you all you wished for, I wish you a very happy day. As we come to the end of 2024, it's time to be hopeful and look forward to the new year.
Food writing
What are the best Winter breaks for foodies? Olive Magazine has the
answer. Some of these make me want to book my tickets right now! https://www.olivemagazine.com/
What are the foods which will no longer be able to advertise because of
their high sugar and lack of nutritional content? Here is a full list: https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/04
Food advice and kitchen tips
Delia Smith devised a low cost Christmas dinner menu, which she has shared along with her 2024 money saving advice: https://www.deliaonline.com/fe
Recipes
The 20 best easy Christmas party recipes from Observer Food monthly, including blinis, paté, punch and canapes: https://www.theguardian.com/fo
Homemade plant based instant ramen recipe from Wagamama: https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitn
Nigella's spicy pork sausage patties, with their ginger and garlic,
served with iceberg lettuce, remind me of Vietnamese meatballs. You
could serve them as they do in Saigon with lots of herbs (mint,
coriander, sweet basil) and rice noodles. https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifes
Savoury biscuits to have with a glass of wine are a must for the festive
season. Matt Christmas (what an appropriate name for the season!) from
Chez Bruce shares their Parmesan biscuit recipe: https://www.theguardian.com/fo
A wintry pasta dish, with broccoli, walnuts and orecchiette (little ear)
pasta to assist good gut health. I'd personally use either tenderstem
or purple sprouting broccoli. https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitn
Cookbooks
Chef Tim Anderson's passion for Japanese food stands out in his
cookbooks. His latest focusses on Hokkaido. Kavey has reviewed the book
over at Kavey Eats blog, and her review encompasses the book's concept,
development, cultural and historical sensitivity, and of course the
recipes. This is one of her best reviews yet! https://www.kaveyeats.com/hokk
What you might have missed at Snig's Kitchen
New mini blog post - Chicken and chestnuts - Chinese style: https://www.tumblr.com/snigski
My review of Nongshim's Chapagetti instant noodles: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.
Music
Each year I make up a playlist of my favourite new tracks of the year. Here is Snigdha's playlist (on YouTube) for 2024. I am sure there will be something here for your ears!
Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items
have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive
any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links
or recommendations.
