Thursday, 21 December 2023

December 2023 Favourites list

As we approach the festive season, I would like to wish all my online friends and their families a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

I hope you make wonderful memories of good times, good food, and good company.
This month's list includes my predictions for the best television this Christmas/New Year. Please do let me know if you watch any of the programmes, what your thoughts are!
 


 

Food writing and articles
 

Christmas food and cooking Q&A from Delia Smith's team: https://www.deliaonline.com/features/2023/11/ask-lindsey-christmas-questions
 

Whole grains can keep you feeling fuller for longer and provide fibre in your diet. They can also be used to help a healthy diet for those with high blood pressure: https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8077182/best-whole-grains-for-high-blood-pressure
 


 

Food, cooking, culture and personal history all combine in Jason Diamond's article on "The Many Garlics of my Childhood" musing on his American Jewish heritage and beyond:  https://tastecooking.com/the-many-garlics-of-my-childhood/
 

Delicious magazine's collection of Christmas gifts for foodies: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/christmas-gift-guide-for-foodies/
 

Olive magazine's best food and drink hampers for Christmas: https://www.olivemagazine.com/guides/best-foodie-hampers-for-christmas/
 

Recipes
 

Jose Pizarro's wintry braised pork belly with spinach and chestnuts is a nod to his childhood in Spain. I might cheat and buy a pack of cooked chestnuts to make this a weeknight warmer:  https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/nov/25/sherry-braised-pork-belly-recipe-spinach-chestnuts-jose-pizarro
 

If you have turkey left over from Christmas, here is a recipe for congee to deal with the leftovers: https://thewoksoflife.com/leftover-thanksgiving-turkey-congee/
 

Thrifty air fryer cooking - skin on roast potatoes from tinned: https://archive.ph/EDinL
How to make the perfect ful medames - Felicity Cloake cooks up a number of recipes for this Middle Eastern classic bean stew to arrive at her version of perfection: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/nov/22/how-to-make-the-perfect-ful-medames-recipe-felicity-cloake
 

Mark Diacono's festive drinks recipes, including a mulled cider and a Christmas negroni:
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/mulled-cider-festive-punch-christmas-drinks-recipes-mark-diacono
 

Nasu dengaku by Emiko Davies combines silky aubergine and intensely flavourful sweet miso sauce:
https://theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink/recipe-nasu-dengaku-miso-aubergine-by-emiko-davies
 

American food chain Chipotle shares their honey vinaigrette recipe (with a hint of kick!): https://thetakeout.com/chipotle-honey-vinaigrette-dressing-official-recipe-1850083244
 

Podcasts
 

BBC Sounds has put together a collection of podcasts celebrating the sadly recently departed Benjamin Zephaniah. The Colin Murray interview is a treat, as his episode of Colouring In Britain. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/curation/m001v1jn
 

Music
 

Lucinda Chua - Xian


Ezra Collective - Where I'm Meant to Be


Snigdha's 2023 music playlist: here's my selection of songs I've enjoyed this year. Hope you find something for the heart, the soul, and for moving your feet. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcZVuU7Jd5iZX27xklo7ftwEhmKPpM69C&si=8I9k_3P-WrLrxBGm
 

What to watch on TV this Christmas
 

A Ghost Story For Christmas: Lot No.249, BBC2, Christmas Eve, Arthur Conan Doyle's short story as dramatized by Mark Gatiss. It's going to be spooky and atmospheric, with stars Kit Harington, Colin Ryan and Freddie Fox.
 

Tabby McTat, BBC1, Christmas Day, following on from the brilliant animation of The Gruffalo comes this new animation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Schleffer's picture book. With voices from national treasures Jodie Whittaker and Rob Brydon.
 

Doctor Who, BBC1, Christmas Day, the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa (of Sex Education fame) was introduced to us briefly in the last David Tennant return story. The Church On Ruby Road will be his first proper story as the Doctor. Hopefully he will have found some trousers!
 

Ghosts, BBC1, Christmas Day, our very last visit to Button House will be emotional. Alison's due date is getting close and she, Mike and the Ghosts must prepare for a new arrival. This triumph of a sitcom from the Horrible Histories team will, I hope, be going out on a high.
 

Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, ITV1, New Year's Day, the always excellent Toby Jones plays one of the 700 sub-postmasters wrongly prosecuted and sacked by the Post Office as a result of accusations of false accounting caused by a defective computer system. This scandal is the largest miscarriage of justice in British legal history.
 

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.

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