deliciousmagazine.co.uk 23
food for thought.
I wasneverthekindofpersonwhosaved
anythingforbest.‘Alwaysusethegood china’
ismymottotoliveby,andthiswinter
I’veembracedthisideamorethaneverPROBABLYTHEBESTHOT
CHOCOLATEINTHEWORLD
“Thesecrettothis,likemany
things,isexcess,”saysmy
husband.Here’showhemakesit:
Fortwopeople,hewarmsup
about600mlwholemilkand,
whenit juststartstosteam,he
whisksintwiceasmuchdrinking
chocolateperservingasthe
packetinstructionssuggest.
Whenit’ssmooth,hetakesthe
panofftheheatandgratesin
about40gdarkchocolate(70%)
andstirstomelt.Hethenadds
1 tbspCampCoffeeanda good
slugofCointreau,GrandMarnier
orbrandy.Hedividesit between
warmedcups,thenpoursa little
doublecreamoverthetopand
gratesonsomemorechocolate,
becauseobviouslytoomuchis
neverenough.SIG’SSOOTHINGHOT
ELDERFLOWERTODDY
Foroneperson,bring200ml
watertojustbelowtheboil,
thenpourit onto1 tspgreentea
leavesor1 greenteabag.Infuse
for 30 seconds,strain,thenadd
40mlelderflowercordial,20ml
gin,vodka,whiterumormild
whiskyanda sliceofunwaxed
lemon.Tasteandaddsome
lemonjuiceforacidityand/or
moreelderflowercordialfor
sweetness.T
his Christmas is going to be
different from the others,
isn’t it? Normally by now
I’d be complaining to everyone
(friends, colleagues, neighbours, the
postman – and you, probably) about
the blizzard of lists I’ve scrawled in
notebooks, cluttering up my head,
on my phone, scribbled on scraps
of paper by my bed, stuck on the
fridge. Some of them are helpful
lists: ingredients; side dishes, their
timings and required serving dishes;
how many extra chairs need to be
dragged up from the cellar or down
from the bedrooms. Other lists are
so cryptic that I can’t remember
what they refer to five minutes after
I’ve written them. And I love it.
As I write this, I don’t know if
we’ll be able to spend time with our
families in Yorkshire and County
Durham this Christmas, or if it will
be just my husband and I, alone in
London. I am of the mind that it’s
as easy to cook for 10 as for two,
and at Christmas in particular I’m
not happy unless there’s a table
filled with people. Not this year.
TREAT YOURSELF TO THE BEST
But I can’t allow myself to live with
regret or what might have, should
have, been. Like never before, I’m
grateful for good health and have
a renewed delight in the everyday.
Like so many people, I’ve learned
to embrace the quieter times and to
value them. This violent pause in
my life has also offered possibilities.
I was never the kind of person
who saved anything for best.
‘Always use the good china’ is my
motto to live by, and this winter I’ve
embraced this idea more than ever.
I’m not going to pare down, cut
corners or – worst of all – think
‘What’s the point?’ because we’re
only two people. I’m seizing the
possibilities of our solitary
splendour to push the boat out even
more than usual, to indulge in the
good wine we might not afford if
we had to pour it for a crowd, to go
nuts on the luxe food mail order
and to honour the possibilities of
pleasure, every single day. I’m also
genuinely enjoying the luxurious
tranquillity of doing nothing – or at
least less – where all that rush, rush,
rush used to be.
I was thinking about this recently
when, muddy and cold and generally
bedraggled after a morning tidying
up the garden, I looked up to see
my husband bringing out two cups
of his dense, dark hot chocolate. We
sat drinking them quietly
at the garden
table. His hot
chocolate has
seen us through
a lot of dog
walks, football
matches and
outdoor concerts.
Obviously I didn’t marry him solely
for his hot chocolate skills. Or did
I? You decide – see his recipe, right.CELEBRATE BEING ON YOUR TODDY
With all this unpeopled time on my
hands, I’ve been thinking a lot
lately about the divine cosiness of
the perfect warm, boozy winter
drink. Of course there’s mulled
wine, but that seems only possible
to make for a crowd (which is good
as I don’t care for it). Buttered rum
and mulled cider have their charms
but, in search of something new,
I was inspired to ask my friend,
food writer Signe Johansen.
Sig is part Norwegian, so she
knows how to ace a long winter.
She’s also the author of Spirited:
How to Create Easy, Fun Drinks at
Home (Bluebird). She suggests
a characteristically elegant hot
elderflower toddy. “In midwinter,
elderflower cordial mixed with hot
water (and, of course, a slug of
alcohol) is strangely soothing and
makes an excellent alternative to
whisky hot toddy. While this can be
kept in a thermos and sipped on
long walks or act as a restorative
after a brisk swim outdoors, theclear, bright flavours also cut
through all the rich food we
associate with Christmas.”
See below for Sig’s wonderfully
warming recipe.
However peopled or unpeopled
your Christmas is going to be, I hope
you can enjoy some tranquillity,
along with a warm glass or cup of
something good. We’ve all been
through the most extraordinary
time this year and we all of us
deserve every good and comforting
thing the season can offer.