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BLOGMAS day 6: Cheese! Ideas for your festive cheeseboard
My name is Jenny and I’m a cheese-o-holic.
I, much the same as many other people, enjoy a cheeky cheeeboard at #christmas time. I use it as an opportunity to try new flavours and have something different to the everyday, and here I’m sharing my top three recommendations of cheeses to try for 2017…
Caramelised onion & Rioja cheddar, The Cheshire Cheese Company
Cheese and wine are always paired together, I’m known for being partial to the odd glass of red soooo…this was another purchase from my visit to the Great British Food Festival earlier this year, and its one I’ll likely be repeating. This is a mature cheddar and the wine notes give it a little bit of extra body and depth. A little bit goes a long way so it’ll last through a good portion of December (or shared at a dinner party)
ASDA Wensleydale with chocolate & orange and Christmas tree-shaped Applewood.
It’s cheese shaped as a frickin’ Christmas tree!! Even if it wouldn’t have been Applewood, which is one of my faves, I probably still would’ve bought it for that reason alone. If you like smoky flavours then this could be the cheddar for you.
I’d heard ASDA were launching a chocolate orange cheese so I actively sought this one during the weekly food shop. I really like Wensleydale anyway (usually with cranberries, which is also pretty christmassey) but I found this one extra creamy. I suspected I’d like this one as I enjoy a nice sweet/savoury combo.ASDA usually do slay the game with their festive cheese selection but this year they seem to have upped the ante with varieties and value for money, these two were both £1 each.
My top cheeseboard tip is to serve oatcakes instead of crackers. They’re pretty light and buttery in texture so offsets the cheese really nicely. My preferred brand is Nairns.
To all the cheese lovers reading this – enjoy, and you’re welcome!
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 5: Festive films I watch every year
I stole this cosy film setup from Pinterest because – we don’t have our Christmas tree up yet, we’re currently in a rented flat so don’t have the space or freedom to decorate, and I don’t have a cute doggy to snuggle up to (yet. I’m confident the Mr will cave someday).No matter where you are, cosying up and watching a film can help you get into a warm and fuzzy frame of mind that lends itself well to this time of year, so these are the ones I’ll be reaching for:
This is the only film I watch all the way through, every single year, just me and my husband. It came out 9 years ago, and I know this because me and the Mr went to see it at the cinema as our first outing together (it was a kind of ‘is it a date, is it not a date?’ trip. We concluded it wasn’t AND celebrate our official anniversary 6 days after this, when we were both certain it was in fact a date.)
This is a pretty short film, not much over an hour, and really resonates with anyone that has a divorced family or has to see a lot of people over the holidays. It’s pretty funny (too many odd and cringe moments to mention here) and cheesy, as most good Christmas films are.
If you don’t watch this at Christmas I just have one thing to ask – U ok Hun? It was shown in October this year on some channels and honestly, I was kind ready for it! This is the Christmas movie of my childhood so it makes my inner child happy to keep putting it on each year.
What makes me chuckle most now are all the memes that I see about this on social media pointing out practicalities – what DOES Mr McAllistar do for a job that he can afford an amazing house, and what does his brother do that he can afford to pay for that massive family with hundreds of kids out to Paris at the PST expensive time of year??
Same applies to this as Home Alone – can you even say you’re celebrating Christmas if you DONT watch this?? I enjoy watching it a little bit now I’ve been to NYC a couple of times as I’ve been able to visit some of the movie locations (though only in summer time, so it’s a bit less slippery). If pushed, I’d say this was my fave of the two – you kind of know what you should be expecting with this one based on the first, but it’s got that bit of extra significance with Kevin *SPOILER ALERT – IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT, SCROLL TO THE NEXT FILM* stopping the toy store robbery and being surprisingly enterprising and stealthy in a coty to which he hasn’t ever lived or visited.
I would make me so happy if another instalment was made featuring Mcauley Culkin as the dad, c’mon guys!
I think this is one of the best British films ever made. It covers so many scenarios, emotions, stages of life and relationships, it just sums up real people (and some more extraordinary ones) dealing with life in the run up to Christmas and it just makes you feel alright again.I get a lump in my throat *ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT- STOP READING THIS POST IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT YET* every single time Joanna sings ‘All I want for Christmas’ and I stole Juliet and Peter’s wedding song to walk back down the aisle to (sadly without the gospel choir, but the original Beatles version is pretty darn good).
I hope this post has either stirred up some nostalgia for you or given you a couple of new ideas about things to watch this December!
Thanks for reading,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 4: Sweet treats perfect for the holiday season
Candles – Candy cane forest and Christmas cookie by Yankee CandleBeing festive is about eating all the food…or is that just me? Either way, I’ve got some great recommendations of treats you can pick up to help get into the festive mood…
White chocolate and raspberry Christmas trees, Marks & Spencer
Be warned, these little treats are big on taste and are very rich indeed! The white chocolate layer underneath the ‘baubles’ is melt in the mouth creamy and pairs perfectly with the tart raspberry.
These are great for pairing with after dinner coffee/tea or as part of a buffet
Red velvet mini Santa hat cupcakes, Marks & Spencer
Cake lovers will adore these, and not just because they look super cute! The cake itself is lovely and moist, and the cream cheese topping gives it that signature cupcake feel and taste. Nom. These would also be great with after dinner tea/coffee, and they would also be a great alternative for kids to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Rich traditional brownies by Northern Brownies*
These are pretty big in size but they’re also very chocolatey so I’d recommend sharing, don’t try to be a hero! For me this is the ideal brownie consistency – smooth crunchy outer with gooey middle. Yassss.
Sticky toffee pudding and Chocolate orange sponge, White Lace Cakery
These puddings are perfect for Christmas Day dessert! I actually tried them both earlier this year at the Great British Food Festival and was very impressed – sticky toffee is one of the Mr’s all-time fave desserts and he said this is one of the best he’s had for a long time.
The sponge is wonderfully moist, the ‘sauce to sponge ratio’ is perfect and they are a great size (not to big, not too smal) to round off a delicious meal.
Hope this helps you find some great ideas for those festive food occasions!
Thanks for reading,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 3:Old House Hull (2017)
I thought since I’m posting this #blogmas entry on a Sunday, a #sundaylunch post was quite appropriate!
I last posted about Old House in April 2016 (read the post here) when I went for an impromptu date night with the Mr, so we already knew the food was yummy.
This is lovely little gastro pub based in an old converted shop and looks very traditional yet modern like somewhere you’d have to drive out of town to enjoy, so it’s a real gem to have in such a central location. Pictures on the wall show that the street it’s on hasn’t changed a bit and still has lots of Hull-oh charm.
There is a traditional set Sunday lunch menu to choose from which is great value for money for 2 or 3 courses (and looked epic) however we ordered from the regular menu.
We were given a complimentary ‘pre-starter’ of warm bread and infused butter (which during our visit was smoked garlic) lovely way to start the dining experience before the main event.
Starters
The Mr chose the soup of the day which was Leek and Potato (full on winter warmer food). Unusually it had a slightly fragrant taste to it but was lovely.
I wanted a starter but didn’t fancy anything from this section so chose mac and cheese from the side dishes. It was yummy and very warming, so many places in the UK can’t do this dish well so I’m delighted that I can get this right on my doorstep.
Mains
I chose the game of the day, which was rabbit encase in a pasty served with carrots, champ mash and gravy. So good! The herby-ness of the mash and carrots work well with dark meat. The pastry was lovely and light and, most important, not burnt.
The Mr went for the Wagyu beef pie served with garden peas and creamy mash. Looking back at my previous post he had a version of this on our last visit so it must be good! The pastry was thick and rich, working nicely with the dark meat and smooth mash.
On the side
We shared a portion of truffle and Parmesan fries – on a recent trip to The Ivy we had these and loved them so wanted to treat ourselves. They were just as delicious, and I liked that the cheese was freshly grated over the top rather than baked in, but they just wouldn’t fit into our very full tummies so we had them wrapped up to go. Heated in the oven that evening and they were still delish.
Old House is in a great location in Hull city centre – on a side street in the Old Town, it’s really close to pubs/bars as part of an afternoon/evening out, its very close to local tourist attractions and museums, and it’s not too far from shops to pop in for a spot of lunch/dinner when getting you Christmas shop on.
Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow,
J xx
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BLOGMAS day 2: Tea-sons greetings!
I thoroughly enjoy a good pun! Gotta be honest though, this one was borrowed from the good folks at Bluebird Tea co. who this post is mostly centred on. I was introduced to the brand last year during #blogmas so it seemed pretty appropriate to include them!
Candle, B&M (I highly recommend them for amazing smells at great value. Read the post I did on their collection here)First lesson I’ve learnt this month – dropping not so subtle hints (or blatantly asking, however you wanna say it) works. I spotted this tea advent calendar was launching and I wanted it, BAD.
The idea of taking time out every day during a busy month (particular with the extra stresses of job/ home searches I’ve facing) is a great way to relax, with the added bonus of trying lots of new flavours. Plus, my mum has also bought me a choccy calendar, so I’ll be able to do both!
Bluebird are always very kind and send a couple of different samples with every order, this one is Christmas cake.
My only teeny gripe is that on the back it tells you exactly which tea you’ll get on each day, which eliminates some of the surprise element. I’ve tried not to peek!
I’ve also signed up to the e-calendar to run alongside, which so far I’m very impressed with. Each day I will receive an e-mail focusing on the tea of the day – providing info about the blend, recipe ideas and links to buy it if you want more. I’ll have to be careful with reading this one though, as I plan to have my brews in the afternoon or evening to make sure I have time to enjoy them, so don’t want this to ruin the surprise!
Door no 1 – Gingerbread Chai
Mug, NASA (bought from the Natural History Museum in New York)
I’ll be posting a mini review of each blend on my social media channels every day (not doing things by halves this month!) so if you like the sound of one you’ll have time to buy it before it goes out of stock. They’re also great for quirky stocking filler ideas and have a dedicated Christmas gifts section that’s worth checking out.Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow.
J xx
About Me
I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.
Jenny Chat 