Great British Food Christmas 2024

Awell-stocked larder, fridge and freezer are the ultimate toolkit for successful cooking over the Christmas period, says Charlotte Smith-Jarvis 20 SEASONAL STORE CUPBOARD MUST-HAVES W hether you’ve been cooking Christmas dinner for decades, or you’ve just been handed the family baton for the ‘big day’, it’s all too easy to feel frazzledwhen it comes to stocking the festive larder. What with plotting gifts, wondering if your wrapping paper is eco-friendly and trying to remember the date of the last post, it can be a fraught time. Food shopping (apart fromthe bird, of course) is often left right up to the lastminute. Theremight be some bargains to be had on Christmas Eve, but the reality is, if you’re not prepared, you run the risk of waking up on 25 th December to a pile of gnarly, twig-like parsnips, yellowing sprouts, andwhatever weird (and not always wonderful) pud was leftover in the chiller aisle at the supermarket. Buying asmany of the essentials as you can nowwill make for smoother sailing in the Christmas countdown. OUR F E ST I VE FOOD I E MUST - HAVE S 1 Dried fruit: Where would we be without it? Mince pies, puds and cakes always taste better with a bit of variety, so don’t just stick to raisins and currants. Mix it up with dried cranberries, cherries, apricots, prunes and figs. They’ll also find their way into seasonal biscuits, stuffings, stews and so muchmore. 2 Cheese: Christmas just isn’t Christmas without cheese. Now’s the time to get your order in at the deli. Go in with a plan to seek out three or four big hunks of the good stuff, rather thanmultiple teeny pieces you’ll only find stuck to the back of the fridge in February. We suggest a robust, hearty Cheddar like Montgomery or Keen’s, something decadent and soft like a truffled Baron Bigod or a wedge of Tunworth, and a blue. The newOrganic Yorkshire Blue fromShepherds Purse is tasting great this year. 3 Crackers: Keep it simple here too. Let your cheese do the talking. Cheese experts agree the best match is a snappy sourdough cracker. Then go for a jazzier partner in crime. Something studded, perhaps, with onion seeds or dried berries for festive notes. 4 Spices: Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, mixed spice, cloves and allspice are absolute musts. You might still have last year’s cohort hanging about, but fresh is best. Dip your finger in each one and try them. If they’re tasting stale, buy more. Don’t throw away the old jars though. Pungent spices are good for scattering around the garden in spring and summer to deter pests. 5 Baking tool kit: Overstock on brown and white sugar, plain and self-raising flour, salted and unsalted butter, treacle, golden syrup, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cream and eggs. This will save last minute panicked dashes to the garage at 10pm. greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com 118 FEATURE | FEST IVE LARDER