City Cottage No 5 | Page 14

From a Christmas Carol to Sweeney Todd

Finally- December has arrived and the festivities are allowed to begin. I’m not really one for starting the party too early- but, having said that, I am a person who lives by being organised. On occasions it can be a problem, as I have been known to colour co-ordinate sweets and treats as well as create laminated versions of games and activity rules…. I wish I were joking!

But, enough of my OCD tendencies and onto the military organisation which is a foodie Christmas. I love to entertain. Christmas is a time of giving and sharing and the same absolutely applies to the preparation of food. On one of the first Christmas dinners I ever hosted for extended family, I did my usual trick of ensuring that there was plenty to go around. No one would leave hungry from my house. Most people do tend to leave with a food parcel- which is a trait I get from my own mother, who still does the same for anyone who visits her home! After all, we are all a product of our own experiences and upbringing- I’m thankful mine was good! But, this desire to ensure everyone is full, everyone is satisfied and all who visit do not go without, has always left me with an additional organisation task. One which is also well planned for. The leftovers.

True, as I said before- food packages are created for visitors to take away with them, but there is also the side of me which thrives on the frugal. One which is ignited with the excitement - oddly related to the hatred of waste. There is only so much food you can send visitors away with and for that reason I have created my own Christmas tradition which I shall share with you. The pie. The Boxing day pie. It’s a tradition, if I can use such a phrase - as I’m not sure how many years something has to be repeated over for it to technically become a tradition- which I have conducted for at least the last eight years. This is also where the organisation elements of my skewed personality come into play.

Christmas dinner is an interesting affair. I have meat eaters who love Turkey, meat eaters who hate the turkey and then myself- the vegetarian. Food is prepared to cater for all tastes and requirements- dished up on the big day with precision or by some miracle, as the other tradition I have adopted is the glasses (yes plural) of sherry during the cooking period! As the plates are set up, the appropriate requirements of content and portion control are considerately developed- out come the plastic tubs. The empty vessels waiting to be filled with what has not been required. Now you may be thinking that such an organised individual should not have any left overs. The planning should have been so precise that there should be no suggestion of waste. But that’s where the ulterior motive kicks in. The pie is on my mind and the beginning of these wonderful creations begin before the main meal has even been consumed.

Boxing day has become pie day. Large amounts of pastry is prepared. The oven- groaning from exhaustion of the previous day’s trail, is heated up. The song that pops into my head at this stage - and often pops out of my mouth - is all about pies.

The best pies in London- although I’m not in London, as I happily create Turkey pies, Ham pies, Meat pies with gravy and stuffing, vegetable pies with leftover cranberries. Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett have nothing on the production taking place in my kitchen.

Jayne Hickling, of the Facebook site Allotment Cooks, gets all organised for Christmas - it's almost a military campaign!