Chef Richard
An extra-special Christmas needs extra-special plans and Richard has revealed it’s usually him that prepares the Yuletide feast. ‘I’m the family chef,’ he explained. ‘It just evolved that way. Every other year, I cook Christmas dinner, then the other year we go out.’ When at home, the family start their day off with a particular breakfast. ‘We don’t normally have croissants for breakfast, but we do on Christmas morning,’ Richard has said of their Christmas Day ritual. ‘I go down at around 8.30am and put loads of Marks & Spencer croissants in the oven. I’ve actually bought a second kettle because there’s so much tea to make! I make two huge pots and we sit around in our dressing gowns eating croissants and drinking tea.’ And while Richard has said he will ‘absolutely not’ wear a Christmas jumper, we’re sure baby Bodhi might have an outfit or too – after all, Chloe shared photos of the tot in pumpkin-adorned baby clothes around Halloween. Richard has said they always watch the monarch’s Christmas message on the big day, and often have arguments over games of charades. ‘We also bicker about where certain baubles should go on the tree and whether we have a gold star on the top or a doll that looks like a fairy,’ he revealed. When it comes to opening presents, the Madeley household gets the unwrapping done early, with Richard admitting that opening presents has got much ‘better’ since he and his wife have become grandparents. He added, ‘We open our presents while we’re still sober at 10.30am, that way we can thank each other properly and know who got what for who.’ The family are also fans of classic Christmas movie White Christmas and make sure to watch it every year.
‘WE OPEN PRESENTS WHILE WE’RE STILL SOBER’