RAINING SIDEWAYS

Nearly Christmas...

The lights are on. It’s nearly Christmas. Huge dazzling banners, twinkley fairy lights, glittering garlands, sparkling Christmas trees; they all light up the evening sky in every town, large or small. Late night shopping, free car parking, crowds, carousels, special Christmas markets, music on the streets, a Ferris wheel in Plymouth, good cheer everywhere, well mostly!

The shops are bedecked and bedazzled with every sort of gift imaginable. They bulge obscenely with plumb puddings and mince pies, turkeys and geese, pheasants and duck. Nuts and spices, crystallised fruit, dates and cakes, huge boxes of sweets, with every sort of Christmas decoration; baubles and fairies, tinsel and stars, garlands, crackers and garish wrapping paper. There are presents for Mum, Dad, Aunty, Gran, your brother, your sister, her friend, your boyfriend and toys, toys, toys for all those kids. I heard a lady in a big store, only last week, say to her friend “I’m getting that for Iris, whether she likes it or not…”  Oh, the joy of Christmas Spirit, wonderful!

And, of course, there’s Father Christmas himself. There he is, old Saint Nick, working so hard, dashing from town to town, asking all the children what it is they specially want from him this year. He’s simply everywhere, frequently in more than one place at the same time! He’s all shapes and sizes but clad in that same red gown, big fat black belt, warm red hat and a big white cotton woolly beard.    “Now what is it you would like this Christmas? Have you been very, very good…?” Parents listen anxiously. What should they buy their little treasure this year?  Then “don’t forget, children, I’ll be coming down your chimney on December 24th. And please make sure you leave me a nice big brandy and a mince pie, oh, and don’t forget a sugar lump or two for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen and Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen …..” Parents pale at the thought of the house full of diminutive reindeer on top of everything else. But sometimes he just asks for a biscuit for little Rudolph, that small solitary Red Nosed one, a sigh of relief, no herd.

I know it’s all becoming outrageously commercial and sadly, often, pretty tacky, but oh, I can’t help loving it all! I love the sameness. The reassuringly familiar old shabby decorations for the Christmas tree, no black designer tree for me!!  I love to see all the presents piled up on the floor beneath the tree. I love agonising over what to give everyone. I love wrapping parcels, racing to meet the last posting date, fretting about the correct way to parcel up gifts for Japan; each year brings a new twist to that one!

I love writing cards, planning menus, cooking for family and friends. I love eating all the traditional food, roast turkey, chestnut stuffing, bread sauce, cranberries, brussel sprout, roast  potatoes. Then Christmas pudding fired with flaming brandy, mince pies, brandy butter, clotted cream. I love watching the children’s faces as they open their presents, I love going to Midnight Mass, singing all the same old, favourite carols. That’s the real reason for all these celebrations, remember!  But, best of all, I love hearing from friends far away and having time to be with those I love.

This year we have sent our special friends our own Raining Sideways calendar for 2006. You can download it too. Have fun and a have a Very Happy, Happy Christmas.  Thank you for taking a moment to share with me my diary of food and life on a very small Devon farm. I wish everyone a very, very Peaceful New Year.

Steak and Kidney Pudding

While you ponder on the best way to tackle cooking that great big turkey why not warm up with a good old fashioned Steak and Kidney Pud.

To feed six first cut up 900gms of really good, lean stewing steak together with 300gms of ox kidney. Brown the meat quickly in batches in hot oil. Remove each batch from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Chop a large onion and a couple of shallots and a scrap of celery or celeriac if you have it. Deglaze the pan with a generous glass of red wine and about 300ml of stock or water. Return the meat to the pan, and cook gently for one and a half to two hours depending on the quality of your beef.

Meanwhile to make the Suet Crust mix 350gms of self raising flour with 175gms of prepared suet, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and salt Add enough water to make a stiff dryish dough. Take a 1.75 litre basin and line it with the suet pastry remembering to keep a piece for the lid. To line the bowl roll out a circle, flour it well and fold it in half. Push up the sides to make a flat bowl shape and continue to roll until it looks as if it will fill your bowl. Lift it carefully and open it up and put it into place. Press it gently against the edge of the bowl. Now roll out your lid and set aside.

When the meat is tender fry 275 gms of mushrooms in a little oil. Stir them into the cooked steak and kidney. This is the moment to add the oysters if you really want to be authentically Old English! Really delicious!

Now carefully spoon the filling into the basin and cover with the pastry lid, sealing well by wetting the rim.  To take a large piece of baking foil and fold making a large pleat to allow you pudding to swell during cooking. Cover the pud with this and a pudding cloth. Secure with string. Place it in a steamer if you have one or in a pan of water on a little trivet or top of an upturned saucer. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours. Wrap the pudding in a crisp white napkin, in the traditional way, and serve the pud from the bowl! Bon appetite!