CHRISTMAS WITH NIGELLA

Christmas always brings thoughts of food, family, sharing and the stories that connect us to Christmases past. Reading your editor’s December letter brought a few tears as it took me back to my childhood and my Mum’s kitchen, where the aroma of spices and rich baked festive goodies filled the house. Every year our large family would jam themselves into Dad’s old sedan and head off for our three-week Christmas beach holiday. Crammed into the car were my parents, an elderly grandfather, four children, a bird in a cage, a spitting cat in a box, and a shaggy dog. Stuffed into the boot were a few boxes of Xmas presents, holiday clothes, and several well-seasoned cake tins containing Mum’s homemade biscuits, slices, rum balls, an Xmas cake and a pudding in a cloth. There was enough for 3 weeks!

Christmas time has me scouring my collection of cookbooks. Sadly, there’s a special book missing – my Mum’s handwritten recipe book that I still mourn the loss of almost 24 years after she died.

When it comes to Christmas, family and friends and a table shared, I can think of no-one better than Nigella Lawson to grace the cover of your fabulous December issue. Her passion for food, cooking and sharing is infectious and has me reaching for one of her treasured cookbooks, and my trusty wooden spoon. Michael, many thanks for such a wonderful year of reading (your editorials are a delight), and I wish your family all the joys and blessings of the festive season, and continued success in 2022, and beyond. And many thanks for your special December Christmas Cookbook. What a delicious triumph! Judith