Jason Bangerter

After holding positions in France, England, Germany and Switzerland, Jason became the executive chef at Cambridge’s 5-Diamond Langdon Hall Country House Hotel’s restaurant in 2013.

For me and probably for most other chefs, Christmas memories revolve around our kitchens at work rather than our kitchens at home. Christmas is one of the busiest times for many restaurants, so it can be stressful.

My Christmas memories from London, England, bring back the angelic sounds of a boys’ choir singing for the patrons; in Switzerland, it’s looking out the window on Christmas Eve at the breathtaking, snow-covered Alps Mountains.

But my fondest memory is my most recent. Christmas at Langdon Hall is truly magical and the staff go all out to make it a very special occasion for our guests — from the decorations to the atmo- sphere and, of course, the food.

In the kitchen, we’ve been testing recipes for months. One of the highlights of last year’s Christmas dinner was Humboldt Squid. It was plated to look like a Christmas wreath with clementines and sea buckthorn berries. Unique and delicious!

In addition to the traditional turkey — done with typical Langdon Hall flair was roast venison with honey apples and watercress. For dessert, it was pumpkin crème brule or cranberry sorbet, made from scratch, of course.

Many guests come back for Christmas day dinner year after year. Most surely wonder what delicacies the Langdon Hall kitchen staff has come up with this year.