Have yourself a very merry Minimas!
Big Christmas dos are out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a ball in your bubble. From chef Rachel Khoo to interiors guru Kelly Hoppen, our top experts show you how
THERE’S no doubt Christmas will be different this year, with the usual whirl of the party season impossible. Across the UK, it was announced last week, we’ll be able to form temporary ‘bubbles’ of three households from December 23 to 27 — in England, the advice is that they should be ‘as small as possible’, while in Scotland they will be eight maximum. No wonder food and drink retailers are dubbing this year’s festivities ‘Mini-mas’ — but mini doesn’t need to mean less magical. Whether swapping a giant turkey for a perfectly formed poussin, or embracing potted trees and petit champagne, small can still delight — as our celebrity experts show . . . FOCUS ON THE SIMPLE DETAILS
By Rachel Khoo, cook, writer and broadcaster
FOR me, Christmas i sn’t about putting on a massive banquet for all your relatives or cooking complicated dishes in a bid to impress.
This year, more than ever, it’s about doing what you love, with the people you love and making sure everyone — whether there’s two of you or a bigger ‘bubble’ — has delicious things to eat. And since I started my career cooking in a tiny kitchen in my Paris flat, testing out recipes for my first cookbook, The Little Paris Kitchen, on just two diners a night, I know how to make smallscale cooking feel special.
Small is beautiful; you can really find the pleasure in little things, like that first bite of pastry on a mince pie that melts in your mouth, or the snap of your favourite chocolate bar.
My tip is to spend less time in the kitchen, more time savouring the experience — and, when it comes to food, try doing things a little bit differently . . .
Downsize: swap your turkey for a poussin
We DON’T like turkey in my family. Instead, we have poussin (a small spring chicken), which not only tastes better, but is far easier to cook.
You can do one poussin per person or larger ones between two, so it doesn’t matter how many people are coming for lunch; they each get their own festive bird.
Poussin is moister and more flavoursome than turkey and, rather than taking all day in the oven, it roasts in just 45 minutes. You’ll never want turkey again!
If there are any leftovers, make a Boxing day curry and zing it up. Try pickling red onion in lime juice or red wine vinegar with salt and sugar until it turns a vibrant pink.
Ditch the sprouts for tasty trimmings
THIS year isn’t a traditional one, so it’s an excuse to ditch the boring trimmings — like sprouts. I prefer wilted greens.
Just melt some butter in a pan, add handfuls of spinach and watch it wilt. It’s vibrant, green and festive and you don’t have to bother with fiddly peeling.
Try making your stuffing with cubed parsnip, which lends a homely, sweet flavour. I also use pancetta cubes, which make it smoky and salty; the perfect accompaniment to your bird.
Forget plum pud — try eggnog on ice-cream
NOT everyone likes plum pudding and if ever there was a year to steer away from big centrepiece desserts, this is it. Go for smaller, individual puddings instead. My aunt in Austria makes an amazing eggnog and I was inspired by her to make one with chocolate in it —it’s thick and indulgent, like a chocolate custard with a bit of booze in it. Or pour some eggnog over vanilla ice cream and crumble pieces of mince pie on top for a super-simple pud.
Mark Christmas Eve with a shellfish platter
WITH normality out the window, it’s time to embrace new rituals. In Sweden, where my husband’s from, Christmas eve is our big celebration, when we all tuck into a big seafood platter, piled high with crab, prawns and oysters.
There might be fewer of you, but a decadent platter helps to mark the occasion. And don’t forget canapés; l i ttle pastry rounds topped with smoked salmon and dill pair perfectly with bubbly.
Freeze mince pies and nibbles in advance
I MAKE a double batch of chocolate pastry — which is buttery and rich with cocoa, but not too sweet — well ahead of Christmas and use it to whip up sausage rolls and mince pies.
It might sound strange, but the flavours, hearty sausage with bitter cocoa, work well together. You can freeze these and bake them directly from frozen.
The sausage rolls make a tasty starter on Christmas day and the mince pies are so simple to make: just cranberries, cherries and chocolate in a pastry case. My tip is to cook things that don’t require much prep and do what you can in advance, so you can put your feet up with a glass of sherry!
Rachel Khoo: a chocolate christmas airs at 7pm on December 7 on Food Network. also available to stream on Discovery+ from tomorrow.
BRING THE NATURAL WORLD TO YOU
By Nikki Tibbles, celebrity florist and owner of Wild at heart (wildat heart.com)
MY secret obsession is tacky outdoor Christmas lights. I must have 50 or 60 of them, including ‘ho! ho! ho!’ signs and a flashing Santa. Come december, I normally cover my house in the country with them; my neighbours must hate me. But this year, the lights aren’t going up. Of course it’s a time for celebration — but, for me, this Christmas should be beautiful, natural a nd personalised. And there are fabulous ways of doing that . . .
Deck your hall with greens from the garden
RATHER than clichéd poinsettia, I like a big vase of branches — a mass of holly, lichen, pine or something evergreen — in the entrance hall or on the kitchen table. You can forage for them yourself, or — if your local florist is open — buy them there and ask them to cut them to size. You don’t have to be an expert to arrange an armful; they’ll look naturally beautiful.
Add pops of colour with dried fruit
BOWS on a tree can look stunning. Simply buy some coloured ribbon, choose whatever colour scheme you want and tie it into giant bows. You can even get a few metres of calico or tartan fabric and rip it up. It doesn’t have to be neat; Christmas
this year will be simpler for many of us, so that’s the look you want.
Tr y drying your own oranges or limes; you can slice them or keep them whole and put them in a low oven for a day so they slowly dry out. These make lovely pops of colour for a tree or wreath, or you can put them in a decorative bowl with a handful of pine cones.
Buy a forever Christmas tree
CONSIDER buying a potted tree rather than a cut one. not only will it last longer (as it’s rooted and you can water it), but it’s also more sustainable; when christmas is over you can put it on the terrace or plant it in the garden. Try rentalclaus. com (gloucestershire) or london christmastreerental.com (London) or loveachristmastree.com (Leicestershire). We sell miniature potted trees with decorations (dried apple slices, lavender and red berries), which, when it gets warmer, can live on in your garden.
don’t be afraid to do your own thing this christmas — see it as a chance to celebrate the gorgeous natural world and bring the outside in!