Christmas Traditions

Magical happenings celebrating food either side of the pond.

Foodie Friends…..We are thinking of you!

How are you getting along and on earth do we allow this time of year to enter a bit of a whirlwind, exhausting state? Sadly it takes more than one hand to count the number of times that I have crashed and burnt on Christmas Day!

In the UK, I am yet to put up one decoration, wrap one present or write one card. However, I have listened to countless Christmas songs and am on countdown to closing the door for 2024 on Myrtle’s Kitchen. My final Christmas market will be this coming Saturday 21st in Great Malvern, Worcestershire (The 21st would have been my Mum’s 99th birthday! Wow!)

To mark the day, in the evening George and I are heading to the locally performed Panto’ - so Christmas will definitely be kicking off on Saturday for the Ravens!

Trailer for Sleeping Beauty

Which leads me very nicely onto CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS UK side of the pond..

The Courtyard Hereford Pantomime 2024

Pantomime is in the British DNA. It has been a tradition in my own family as long as I can remember. My Mother loved to go to the theatre and when I arrived after two football obsessed sons, she grasped the opportunity and ran with it. (“Oh no she didn’t, Oh yes she did!” - panto joke). Panto’, Am’ Dram’, Gilbert and Sullivan and Variety, we crammed in the lot.

So what is Pantomime?

“A theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas”.

I’m slightly concerned that Panto’ will not travel well to the US , it is an extraordinary/unique genre of entertainment, It will be one of the silliest things that you do in the year, clapping, booing, hissing and most important of all, laughing along at the biggest load of old nonsense! If you are visiting from the US and want to experience this art form, do not have high expectations - but enter the experience with an open mind, (the humour can be a little close to the knuckle), be willing to just a have a night of fun. Love it or hate it - it will get under your skin.

Take with you money for the obligatory ice cream and sweets, limber up your muscles to catch the sweeties when thrown in the direction of the audience, get your swerve muscles ready for any water pistols and finally, vocal chords in tune for the mandatory, competitive sing along.

It is a fabulous way to kick off Christmas.

If you are enjoying our Substack - please take a moment to share the love and hit the button below.

Stir it up Sunday

Stir-up Sunday. A family tradition for many years.

It is the day when the rich and boozy Christmas Pudding is made and it is always the last Sunday before the start of advent, which gives the pudding just enough time to mature nicely. Make a diary not ready for 2025!

I used to make a large batch and split the mix between small bowl with lids and gift to clients, customers and friends.

Obviously there is a lot of stirring that goes into making the pudding, but the name originally comes from ” Stir up we beseech thee O Lord” the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer.

It has been a tradition for many well over a century, created by the Victorians, like so many of our Christmas festivities both here in the UK and in the US. Take it in turns to stir the pudding and of course, make a wish.

I also like to put charms or silver sixpences in the pudding, but to be on the safe side, I wrap them in some parchment. I source my silver sixpences via Ebay or antique shops.

Making the pudding when George was little

Even the flaming of the pudding is steeped in tradition with a nod to the pagan ritual of celebrating the winter solstice and bringing warmth and light into the darkness of the winter day. When my husband was still with us, the steamed pudding was doused in alcohol and set alight. It was then paraded around the kitchen to the sound of bagpipes (at full volume), with the lights switched off. Only the flames of the pudding to guide us. How we didn’t set the house on fire - I will never know.

Do you have a favourite Christmas Tradition? I’m already going to steel one of Lisa’s (read on) and I would love to hear any new ones that I can adopt!!!

Recipe:

Jane’s Christmas Pudding

Plan ahead and make sure that you soak the fruit for at least 24 - 48 hours.
Christmas Pudding is a great way to use up all of the bits of dried fruit that accumulate in the kitchen cupboard. The ingredients below are just for guidance, just go with the flow. I’ve been known to bung in the odd chopped dried apricot, figs, prunes, even mango! Talk about living on the wild side.
Christmas music is not mandatory, but fun.

Ingredients:

• 150 g/6oz raisins

• 150 g/6oz sultanas

• 150g/6oz currants

• 25g/1oz glace cherries cut up

• 25g/1oz chopped prunes or figs

• 200ml/7fl oz Brandy, Rum or your favoured tipple

• 1 lemon – finely grated zest

• 1 clementine – finely grated zest

• 125g/5oz plain flour

• 150g/6oz vegetarian suet

• 125g/5oz breadcrumbs

• 170g/7oz dark soft brown sugar

• 1 large Bramley apple peeled, cored and grated

• 3 x large eggs

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice

• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

• Butter for greasing

To serve
100ml/4fl oz whisky or brandy for flaming your pudding.
3 pint pudding basin or Christmas pudding sphere tin,
Baking parchment & foil.

Directions:

A couple of days before Stir It Up Sunday, put all of the dried fruit in a blow with the alcohol, cover and leave to soak for a couple of days if possible. (The longer the better).

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and then add the fruit and all of the lovely juices.

Now is the time to make your wishes.

Put some water into a steamer and bring to a simmer. If you don’t have a steamer, use a large heavy based saucepan with an upturned saucer in the base.

Grease the pudding basin and lid and put all of the pudding mix into the basin. Make sure to scrape all of the goodness out of the mixing bowl. Place a round disk of parchment onto the top of the pudding mix and then make sure that the lid is firmly on. If you have no lid, use a triple layer of parchment and tie tightly with string. I use the string to make a handle as well. Then cover with foil.

Place in the steamer and steam slowly for 5 hours. Check regularly, that the water does not boil dry.

Take you pudding out and leave to cool. Re wrap with clean foil and parchment if used and set safely aside to mature.

On Christmas day, put the pudding in the steamer once again and steam for a further three hours.

Turn out onto a serving plate. If you are intending to flame your pudding, make sure that it is one with a lip, so that the liquid doesn’t run off.
Get your matches ready. Heat about brandy or whisky in a small saucepan. Do not boil or you will cook off the alcohol. When hot pour over the pudding and light. Parade your pudding to the table.

---

---

I’m always wishing for a snowy Christmas which is rare in Seattle. Slim chances this year with our unseasonably warm temps, but you never know!

Jane, like always, has the best holiday traditions!! I definitely need to add Pantomime to my list of “must go to” holiday activities! It sounds right up my alley!! I don’t think we have anything close to that in the US…..or do we?

When it comes to Christmas, I’m slightly ahead of Jane, but not by much. We do have our tree, but just managed to get it decorated a few days ago. I still have presents to buy and to wrap (every year I swear I won’t wait until the last minute, and every year I’m always doing last minute shopping…..maybe next year I’ll be organized!), a grocery list to make, cookies to bake and a thousand other things that need to get done before Christmas.

As much as I love Christmas, I can’t wait for Boxing Day……where we’ll hang out all day in our pjs, order pizza and watch movies!

(Jane chipping in ….. OOOOHhhh! Love this idea - this may become a tradition in the Raven Household - my favourite Christmas film is a bit predicable - The Holiday, but I have already watched it twice!)

One of my favorite holiday traditions, since my daughter was little, is going to a performance of The Nutcracker.

To be honest, I’m not a huge ballet fan and find most of it on the boring side. I’m much more of a musical fan. But The Nutcracker IS Christmas….from the story to the costumes, to the music, to the decorations. We usually go with really dear family friends and their daughters (although, one year it was just friends since our daughters weren’t home from college yet). Tonight we’ll get all dressed up, have a festive dinner and then watch this year’s performance…..and I can’t wait!

Of course, it’s not really the holidays without baking, right? And, like Jane, we have family recipes that make an appearance every year. And one of those recipes is Chess Pie. My aunt made it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I’ve kept the tradition going for almost 30 years. I’ve also taught both my kids how to make it, so the tradition gets carried on.

Chess pie, in my opinion, is a much better version of pecan pie. First off, there’s no cloyingly sweet corn syrup. The filling is thinner than traditional pecan pie and less gelatinous and includes sugar, butter, a splash of apple cider vinegar, eggs and vanilla extract.

I always add extra pecans, so the ratio of pecans and filling is fairly equal. Chess pie is incredibly rich and definitely benefits with a little bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Chess Pie

Ingredients

• Pie Crust Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour (measure and then sift)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces dice it first, then put in a bowl and place in the freezer for 10 minutes

• 2-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (do NOT use white wine vinegar. You can substitute white vinegar, but apple cider really is the best)

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

• ¾ – 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

For the Crust:

Sift the flour and salt together and add to bowl of food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the butter resembles tiny pebbles. With the motor running, add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add enough water to make the dough just barely come together. It will still look loose and crumbly, but you will know it’s enough water when you can take a small pinch of the dough and it just holds together.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a couple of sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough, and, using the plastic wrap, create a ball. Flatten it out with your hands a bit, and then refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the Filling:

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and vinegar and bring mixture to a boil. Place eggs in a mixing bowl and beat well. I usually use my stand mixer for this step, but you can also use a hand mixer. Add a few tablespoons of the sugar mixture to the eggs, to temper the eggs, and mix for a couple of minutes. This will ensure you don’t get scrambled eggs.

Add the rest of the sugar mixture to the eggs and beat well to incorporate all the ingredients. Add the vanilla and beat for another few seconds.

To Assemble the Pie:

After making this pie for YEARS, I’ve learned a few things. The MOST IMPORTANT thing — DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ROLL OUT THE DOUGH. The easiest way to get the dough to cooperate (because it will be really crumbly) is dump the entire ball of dough into your pie plate. Using your fingers, press the dough into the pie dish. This will take a few minutes. Work as quickly as you can, so you don’t handle the dough too much, to ensure the crust will be light and flakey. Make sure there are no holes in the crust for the filling to leak through, and bring the dough up along the rim of the pie plate. Using a fork, press down on the dough to make a pretty pattern.

Give the filling one more quick blend and then pour into the crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set. The filling should not jiggle when you shake the plate.

Cool completely and serve with a large spoonful of whipped cream.

If you’ve read this far a HUGE thank you! Jane and I hope you manage to find a little bit of calm in the middle of what’s usually a really busy season! And if you do, let us know your secret!