My Christmas Cooking Feats

There is nothing I love more than cooking for friends and family and enjoying lovely food and some good drink around the table with them, and that is what Christmas is all about right?

I thought I would share some of my Christmas Cooking Feats. 

Two days before the big day I cooked my first ever Roast Christmas dinner, with a lovely piece of gammon. 

Soaked for 24 hours to reduce the salt content, I then boiled for a few hours (20-30 minutes per KG) with a carrot, onion and a bay leaf for seasoning.

Once boiled, take out and rest, remove the layer of skin, making sure you keep the fat on. Scour the fat with a sharp knife into diamond shapes, cover in honey and stick in some cloves and pepper corns.

Roast for 20-30 minutes, leave to rest then carve.  

Noting beats having your best friends round the table enjoying Christmas Dinner together <3

Desserts 

Melt some milk and white chocolate separately , pour in to a tin to create a marble affect. Sprinkle with some festive fruit and nuts and leave in the fridge to set. 

I also made my very own Gingerbread house, although I'd recommend only start doing this if you have lots of time. 

Drinks

For something different to Mulled Wine try this, Southern Comfort & Warm cider with Apple, Cinnamon Sticks and Juniper Berries. 

Heat the Cider and Southern Comfort in the microwave with a chopped apple and juniper berries and serve in a tumbler with cinnamon sticks. 

Prosecco served with Hibiscus Flowers, which gives it a lovely pink colouring and just makes it look pretty. 

Christmas Morning

Because it wouldn't be Christmas Morning without Scrambled Eggs, Smoked Salmon and Champagne...

Leftovers

After Boxing Day leftovers become boring just as they are, so I made a Caribbean Curry with the leftover Turkey served with Rice 'n' Peas... Make as Spicy or as mild as you want. Makes the perfect supper to sweat out a Winter Flu. 

With lots of time off now, I look forward to sharing more cooking feats. 

Now to tuck into that box of Malteser's that no one else has opened yet. 

x

The no 'Back Fat' Bra

When it comes to lingerie, I am a little obsessed with finding the correct fitting bra. 

Down a back size, up a cup size, push up, sports, sexy, girlie, strapless... There is bra for every situation, and Sainsbury's has now added another, the Back Smoothing Bra aka a bra that hides the dreaded back fat. 

Being very petite I have rarely suffered from this, but have heard lots of women moan about it, and research from Sainsbury's has identified that 'back fat' is one of the most common problem areas for women. 

The exclusive Back Smoothing Bra has been constructed with Powermesh fabric - the same body-shaping fabric used in control lingerie. 

The back panel compresses any bulges to create a smooth, streamlined back and emphasises the waistline. 

Available in black, the bra has been designed to banish the image of shape-wear as ugly industrial garments as seen in Bridget Jone's Diary. With a pretty silver clip front fastening and a feminine flattering T-Shirt bra cup, the bra is discreet as it is figure transforming. 

Available in 50 Sainsbury's stores nationwide from today and priced at £10 in a range of sizes up to 40DD. 

The 'back fat' issue

The Sainsbury's Back Smoothing Bra

   

The Festive Survival Guide from Farrell.

I don't normally post about menswear but I love the Christmas Survival Guide from Farrell the clothing line devised by Robbie Williams and named after his Grandfather, the legendary Jack Farrell.

Farrell have produced a survival guide for five (sometimes awkward) situations the Farrell man may find himself in over the festive period, each with it's own entertaining narrative. 

The office Christmas Party

It may be the naffest event of the year but it is not an excuse to let standards drop. Farrell keeps men looking sharp with tailored jackets, traditional shirting and just a hint of stylish rebellion. 

Out in the 'breakout space', Farrell sips the Lambrini that Faye's bought in. He know's too much about wine and the provenance of the grape to drink this stuff, but it doesn't half bring out the taste in his Tangy Toms. 

The rest of the team are preparing to leave for the party. The boss has booked the Greek restaurant near the station, plenty of plates to smash and ouzo to drink. He checks his box of northern soul 7''s - why is he DJing for this lot? Cos if don't someone else will. 

He buttons up his cropped frock coat, wraps the fringed scarf round his neck and sticks on his felt trilby, a note to the effortless style of granddad, who even did the gardening in a shirt and tie. Faye catches his eye and smiles, topping up the Lambrini. 

"I know it's not Jacob's Creek," she says, giggling. "But it'll do."

He nods. 

"And so will you," he says. "Cheers!"  

Farrell Felt Trilby £90

Farrell White Collar & Bib Shirt £85

Farrell Cropped Frock Coat £300

Farrell Fringed Scarf £35

All available at www.farrell.com / House of Fraser / Selfridges 

Forget Christmas Jumpers... It's all about Festive Leggings.

Looking for something festive to wear to to walk off all those Mince Pies? Then look no further than the limited edition Nike Pro Oslo Glow Printed Women's leggings. 

Inspired by hand-emborided elements of traditional Scandinavian knit trims, mashing them up digitally for a fun, beautiful and unique result, combined with the highest quality performance features the leggings  offer a fresh twist on a favourite style.

The tights have reduced seams for extra comfort, Dri-Fit fabric wicks sweat to help keep you dry and comfortable by moving sweat away from the the skin to the fabric's surface where it quickly evaporates, whilst the wide elastic is both slimming and comfortable - just what you need after all the excess consumption that takes place over Christmas.

Available now at Nike Town London and www.nike.com 

These Fashion forward leggings have definitely been added to my Christmas list.