Louise Walker - Traditional Aga Christmas

First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Absolute Press, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Absolute Press

Scarborough House

29 James Street West

Bath BA1 2BT

Phone 44 (0) 1225 316013

Fax 44 (0) 1225 445836

E-mail

Website www.absolutepress.co.uk

This new revised edition first published in 2013.

Text Louise Walker

Photography Mike Cooper

Snowflake illustrations

This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Anja Kaiser - Fotolia.com

Publisher Jon Croft

Commissioning Editor Meg Avent

Art Director Matt Inwood

Project Editor Alice Gibbs

Photography Mike Cooper

Food Stylist Genevieve Taylor

Indexer Zoe Ross

The rights of Louise Walker to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

A note about the text

This book was set using Century. The first Century typeface was cut in 1894. In 1975 an updated family of Century typefaces was designed by Tony Stan for ITC.

ISBN: 978-1-4729-0388-4

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3496-3 (eBook)

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4729-3495-6 (ePDF)

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP www.bloomsbury.com

To find out more about our authors and their books please visit www.bloomsbury.com where you will find extracts, author interviews and details of forthcoming events, and to be the first to hear about latest releases and special offers, sign up for our newsletters.

Introduction

The Aga, with its ability to add warmth and a welcoming feel to any kitchen, really comes into its own at Christmas. It somehow epitomises the romantic image of the season of family gatherings and the giving and receiving of presents. Perhaps it is this that makes Christmas loom large in the minds of many Aga owners, especially new Aga owners facing their first Christmas, keen to entertain family and friends.

It is with this in mind that I have sectioned recipes in such a way that they will see you through the whole festive season. Of course, the secret to a relaxed Christmas is to do as much cooking and preparation as possible ahead of time, and therefore I have included in the chapter where you will find some delicious last minute recipes.

chapter).

As everyone knows, entertaining at Christmas can be both great fun and extremely stressful! So if you are planning to have a party over the holiday period then you should turn to the chapter for a collection of easy and impressive nibbles and bites that should help you enjoy the festivities as much as your guests.

Cooking in Advance

If you can find the time to cook and store some of the dishes in this chapter before Christmas week it will not only save you valuable time and energy in the last few days leading up to Christmas, but will also give you a strong feeling of being in control. Of course, some dishes actually taste better if they are cooked in advance and left to mature.

Storing will allow flavours to develop, particularly Christmas cakes, puddings and mincemeat. October seems a good time to make them; comforting baking smells permeate the house and remind us all that Christmas is approaching. I know some people who go so far as to make two puddings in one year, eating one pudding and storing the other, and then the following year baking two cakes, eating one and then storing the other.

Always wrap your cakes in greaseproof paper and foil, but remember that foil can be eaten away by the acid in the fruits if left in direct contact, so be sure not to use foil basins for your puddings. Dont worry about leftover mincemeat, it can always be used for filling baked apples or mincemeat cake. Have a look at the Leftovers chapter for wonderful . Also featured in this chapter are a couple of puddings and cakes that freeze especially well. There are of course many other dishes throughout the book that freeze well and I have indicated these when appropriate.

a prettily wrapped tin of home-made shortbread is one of the best possible presents to give to friends and family in the run-up to December 25th.

Whilst you are busy doing all this preparation, be sure to fill your house with some seasonal aroma simply slice some oranges, lay them on a baking tray and gently dry then in the simmering oven. In my oven it takes about 8 hours, but as Agas vary from household to household be sure to keep an eye on them to make sure that they dont blacken. When dried they can then be tied together with cinnamon sticks or displayed in bowls.

There is, of course, one danger to this well thought through preparation; you can all too easily be lulled into a false sense of security and become complacent about all that still has to be done. Im afraid the sad truth is that when it comes to Christmas you can never really fully relax...!

Grannys Christmas Pudding

This recipe has been taken from my second book The Traditional Aga Party Book and I think its the best recipe for Christmas pudding that I have ever tried. It has always proved hugely popular at my demonstrations around the country, even with those who, at first, are adamant that they dont like Christmas pudding! Traditionally, puddings are made on the first Sunday of Advent, also known as Stir-up Sunday when everyone is at home to have a stir and a wish. I usually make mine a month or so earlier than this, but we all still enjoy the tradition.

Makes either 2 large (2 litre/3 pint) puddings or 3 medium (1 litre/2 pint) puddings

250g/9oz suet (I use vegetable suet, suitable for vegetarians)

350g/12oz Demerara sugar

500g/1lb 2oz sultanas

500g/1lb 2oz currants

500g/1lb 2oz raisins

1 cooking apple, peeled and grated

15g/oz ground mixed spice

15g/oz ground ginger

Pinch salt

Grated rind and juice 1 lemon

Grated rind and juice 1 orange

300ml/ pint Guinness

300ml/ pint water

60ml/2 fl oz brandy

30ml/1 fl oz sherry

30ml/1 fl oz rum

5 eggs, beaten

350g/12oz fresh breadcrumbs

Put all the ingredients except the eggs and the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and leave to stand somewhere cool for 3 to 4 days, stirring occasionally. When you are ready to cook the puddings, add the eggs and breadcrumbs to the soaked fruit mixture and stir thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into basins. Level the top and cover with a double layer circle of greaseproof paper. Then cover with a fitted lid, if using boilable plastic basins, or a double layer of foil, if using a traditional basin.