Gloucestershire food with Rob Rees December 2010

From ideas for homemade foodie presents to tips for the big Christmas Day feast, The Cotswold Chef Rob Rees says keeping your festive cooking local couldn't be easier this December 2010.

There can surely be no better place for foodies than Gloucestershire during the month of December. Across our cities, towns and rural villages, everywhere you go the buzz of Christmas is unmistakeable – and it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without all the tasty festive fare that goes with it.

Making your Christmas dinner local is probably one of the easiest meals to make local all year round – it fits our farming traditions, and is all the more tasty for having less food miles and less time languishing in lorries on the way to the supermarket.

First of all, for a boozy way to toast in the big day, mull some of the county’s fantastic liquid treasures – Days Cottage apple juice with a hint of clove or star anise is smashing warmed with a drizzle of Cotswold honey and the zest of a lemon – not only is it a deliciously refreshing cocktail, but a warming wonder on a cold winter day.

Turkey or a traditional goose from Madgets Farm gets a big tick in my book. While sprouts, red cabbage, parsnips and carrots are aplenty at farmers markets across the county. Add into the mix the array of county cheese such as Mayhill, Single Gloucester, Birdwood Blue and Windrush Valley and the cheese board alone is fit for the three kings.

For those with a sweeter tooth, the Cotswold Meringue Company’s cinnamon meringue is fantastic served with spiced apples and pears in butterscotch sauce. We also love to make sweet foodie gifts for people, and can recommend having a go at homemade marshmallows or chocolate truffles as a quick and easy present which will please your friends and family.

This is the time to for all ages to get together and hands-on. The kitchen needs to become the hub of the house with everyone peeling, mixing and baking together – not in a twee Val Doonican kind of way, in a fun way that is engaging not to mention great value.

Children will enjoy making things like almond biscotti or gingerbread men, and will especially love the idea of decorating the Christmas cake – classic royal icing with plastic snowmen and a Santa is hard to beat, with green and red icing, and a liberal scattering of gold and silver balls. And while that may all sound a bit ‘chavtastic’, it’s worth sacrificing style to see the smiles on the kids’ faces. The smells of fresh baking will waft throughout the house and for less than a fiver you will have had some quality time with the children that money can’t buy.

By now I hope your puddings have been made, your mincemeat is getting boozy and the shopping list is already written. They key to a great festive feast is in the planning. The more time taken now will minimise the chances of any chaotic happenings on Christmas morning.

The other important thing is never try cooking something brand new for the first time on the big day – try and practice or stick to the winning formula! But perhaps the most essential Christmas feast tip is to relax and enjoy it. A glass of sherry usually helps…

See you again in January for a look at what tasty Gloucestershire grub the new year has in store.

Rob Rees
8 December 2010