Christmas Traditions – Part 2

As promised this is Christmas traditions – part two! Do you have a favourite festive tradition?

Sarah & Mae Eastwood Suzuki – Mae:

I love Christmas cake!
It defines the festive season in our house, being baked 6 weeks before Christmas, getting wrapped up like a tasty present to be decorated at the last minute. All of our post-Christmas visitors take a slice home and, if we’re lucky, it keeps going until the New Year!
A slice of Christmas cake, with a bit of cheese on the side ❤ x

Katherine Ashdown Photography – Kathy:

Wrapping presents on Christmas eve with a mulled wine (or winter pimms) and a Christmas film!

grasmere gingerbread box

Grasmere Gingerbread – Clary:
There are too many to count; carols, advent calendars and of course the odd merry Christmas tipple! We are all in agreement that the Christmas lights adorning the surrounding Cumbrian towns and villages that our staff call home really bring the festivities to life and decorating the Christmas tree is also a firm favourite. Nothing can beat settling down to a warm mince pie with rum butter throughout the season – a tradition shared by our staff and customers alike we hear! Although our team enjoy the annual 3 day closure, we are apprehensive in many ways – Christmas Eve/Day and Boxing Day are the only times during the year when everything stops and there is an almost eerie stillness about the place. It’s certainly a time when we’re all ready for much needed rest as the heavy involvement from all staff in the international mail order dispatch is always expected, endured and celebrated every year.

Author of Falling Cloudberries & Provence to Pondicherry – Tessa Kiros

For Christmas I love to have my family around the fireplace at our home in Tuscany. Generally my mom & sister come to us from Greece. We celebrate the Scandinavian Xmas (from my mom’s side) on the Eve- with gravadlax, Finnish mustard etc…
Xmas morning is always cinnamon buns. Lunch is like most I think – a long affair with several platters, often a baked ham & cranberry sauce & the Finnish mustard still.
Afternoon is tea around the fire & we play board games- African Tahti – which is one we’ve got from Finland.

Aura Que Designer and Owner – Laura
My christmas tradition is all about spending time with family and friends and getting out into the country side, usually with an untraditional canoe trip, kite flying or BBQ!

Ceramicist and Artist – Lynn Fox

It’s hard to choose a favourite xmas tradition but it is probably mixing up the xmas pudding, steaming and storing it, first job on the list done. I use my grandmothers’ recipe that I made with my mother, and have made with my own children. It’s not too heavy or dark as it has carrot and apple in it. It’s great stirred into vanilla ice cream as well. I can send the recipe if you want.

Xmas pudding:
4 oz flour
4 ox suet
4oz sultanas
2oz raisins
4 oz currants
2 oz mixed peel
2 oz ground almonds
1 large grated carrot
1 grated cooking apple
4 oz sugar
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp mixed spice
1 dessertspoon syrup
4 oz breadcrumbs
2 eggs
Milk or Guinness to mix -about ¼ pt usually. ( optional tablespoon of brandy or rum)
Mix the dry ingredients, toss with the grated carrot and apple to coated, mix in the eggs and syrup then add beer or milk whilst stirring until it is a softish mix but not runny.
Put into pudding dish and tie greaseproof paper over the top.
Steam 4 hours – or put in the slow cooker with water half way up 8 hours.
Cover with foil and store in a cool place.
Can be steamed or microwaved to reheat.
I sometimes vary this recipe by adding blanched almonds, zest of orange, glace cherries, or other dried fruit mixes.

Merry Christmas everyone. We hope you have enjoyed reading these as much as we enjoyed collecting them. There are some lovely ideas to add to your own Christmas Traditions, or let us know your own.