Good From Scratch 3 delicious Christmas ideas from Michael Van de Elzen

Michael is sharing some Christmas tips, including how to make the perfect pav.

Growing up in a Catholic household, Christmas Day always started at midnight with Mass. While the ceremony was only an hour long, in my child's mind, it felt like forever. That was due to the anticipation of what would happen when we got home. We could open our presents, eat chocolate, and guzzle soft drink. It was the best.

One of my most unforgettable was Christmas with my best friend Stevie (sadly no longer with us), also a chef. We decided to cook dinner for our 12 flatmates and brought home food from the restaurant where we worked (Bluebird).

We started at 10.30am on Christmas morning, preparing a giant turkey. We stuffed it with cranberry, wholegrain mustard, and lemon, then oiled the outside and seasoned it heavily with flaky salt.

Problems began when we struggled to get the bird into our flat's tiny oven. Then we had to wait eight hours, and then cook the roast vegetables.

Dinner on my longest-ever Christmas Day was finally served at 10.30pm.

The end of 2020 has a silver lining. While shutting our cookery school down for a couple of months was tough, I loved the time spent on our block, putting a dent into an endless list of jobs.

I don't think I've ever spent so much time with the kids before, and it was quality time without the distractions of everyday life. We took them for bicycle rides. We built a go-cart so that they could catapult themselves down the driveway at such high speeds, I had to look away.

The other great thing to come out of it was people spending more time in their kitchens. Food is back and I'm loving it.

This month I'm sharing some wonderful ideas for Christmas, including my secret to an easy peasy pavlova – isn't it gorgeous!

MICHAEL’S SUMMER COOKING TIPS

Check your knives and get them sharpened if they're blunt.

Buy a temperature probe, which is super handy for checking the cooking temperature of meats.

Get yourself a couple of new cookbooks and start to experiment. Try to cook something new or try a new technique such as brining or cold smoking – it's often much easier than you think.

SUMMER CLASSES AT THE GOOD FROM SCRATCH COOKERY SCHOOL

Our gardens are booming with produce, so it's a great time of the year to visit, and we have gift vouchers for those hard-to-buy-for people.

Visit www.goodfromscratch.co.nz to book a class or event.