Mulled Wine

Ingredients
• 8 table spoons brown sugar
• schwartz mulled wine sachets
• 2 bottles red wine
• 400ml water
• 300ml orange juice
• 300ml brandy

Egg nog

Ingredients
• 4 pints whole milk
• 6 free-range eggs
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 vanilla pod, split
• 40 fresh cherries, stones removed and halved
• 400ml oz brandy
• cocoa powder, for dusting

Recipe
Place the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla pod in a medium pan and heat gently, without boiling, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

The egg nog can be chilled at this stage or served hot.

To serve, scatter the cherries in the bottom of each serving glass. Divide the brandy between the glasses and pour the egg nog over. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Brandied orange and cranberry sauce

Ingredients
• 85 g orange zest
• 590 ml water
• 500 g white sugar
• 200 ml orange juice
• 20 ml lemon juice
• 410 g cranberries
• 20 ml brandy

Recipe
In a small pan over medium heat, combine the orange zest and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving zest and 1/3 cup liquid.

To the reserved liquid, add the sugar, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes uncovered, stirring often.

Add cranberries; increase heat to medium-high and boil for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have popped and a small spoonful of sauce sets on a cold plate.

Remove from heat, stir in brandy. Pour into 4 1/2 pint jars leaving 1/2 inch space from top. Place lids onto jars, and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Bread Sauce

Ingredients
• 1 medium onion
• 1l milk
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 12 slices of good, stale bread
• 1 teaspoon English mustard
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe
• Peel and finely chop the onion half
• Put in a small pan over a low heat with the milk, bay leaves and cloves
• Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove and discard the bay leaves and cloves
• Slice the crusts off the bread and discard
• Add the bread to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the bread has absorbed all the milk and softened
• Stir now and again
• Stir in the mustard and season well to taste with salt and pepper
• The finished sauce should have a loose porridge consistency
• You can simmer it for a little while longer to thicken it up, or loosen it by adding a splash of water if you need to

Pigs in blankets

Ingredients
• 10 Chipolatas
• 10 slices Dry cured bacon
• 20 Fresh sage leaves
• Olive oil

http://www.jamieoliver.com/about/jamie-oliver-videos/pigs-in-blankets-sml

For Pops

Starter:
• Curried Prawn Cocktail

Dessert:
• Mince Pies
• Boozy trifle
• Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce & brandy butter

Honey and thyme roasted vegetables

In my eyes, a good roast potato is one of the most important things in cooking. How is it that such a humble little vegetable can make people so happy? Have a go at this recipe – it will give you potatoes that are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. The principle of parcooking in boiling water, then tossing in flavoured oil and roasting until deliciously golden and crisp, is just about the same for any other root veg, particularly parsnips and carrots, so I’ve included these in this recipe too.

The best time to put the vegetables into the oven is about 40 minutes before the meat is ready to come out. While it rests there’ll be more space in the oven and you’ll be able to move the veg up to the top shelf to finish them off to perfection.
- Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• 1.5kg King Edward potatoes, peeled and halved
• 500g/1lb carrots, washed and trimmed
• 500g/1lb carrots, washed and trimmed
• ½ bulb of garlic
• 1 orange
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a few fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried


Recipe

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Peel the vegetables and halve any larger ones lengthways. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled, and bash them slightly with the palm of your hand.

To cook your vegetables, put the potatoes and carrots into a large pan – you may need to use two – of salted, boiling water on a high heat and bring back to the boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then add the parsnips and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow to steam dry. Take out the carrots and parsnips and put to one side.

Fluff up the potatoes in the colander by shaking it around a little – it’s important to ‘chuff them up’ like this if you want them to have all those lovely crispy bits when they’re cooked. Put a large roasting tray over a medium heat and either add a few generous lugs of olive oil or carefully spoon a little of the fat from the meat you’re cooking.

Place the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and garlic in a roasting tin, add the oil, honey and lemon juice. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir them around to coat them in the flavours. Spread them out evenly into one layer with the chopped up orange – this is important, as you want them to roast, not steam as they will if you have them all on top of each other.

Stir halfway through, until the vegetables are golden and tender. Scatter over the herbs and serve warm.