OH COME ALL YE TASTEFUL: The Foodie’s Guide to a Millionaire’s Christmas Feast
Ian Flitcroft, pb Paperbooks Ltd, £9.99
Oh come all ye tasteful, it’s time to serve up a creative treat, so, for starters, pop down to the book store and make sure you purchase this one pre-Christmas. You will then be ready to produce festive fayre that will be the talk of the table. Author Ian Flitcroft suggests that you let go of tradition, including those ‘boiled-to-death’ sprouts, and re-instigate gastronomic traditions from the past, plus a few new ideas from the present, to ensure a bright and merry Christmas. His list includes extravagance, taste, novelty and surprise. As a food enthusiast rather than a professional chef, he points out that you can expect unusual ingredients and, at times, wildly expensive ones at that, although the presentation is simple enough. But, hey, what price for a festive feast like nothing you will have savoured before! The book is broken down into chapters including aperitifs, cocktails and wines; Christmas breakfast; amuse-bouches, hors d’oeuvres and tasty nibbles; the roast beast and other creatures; vegetables with a difference; Christmas puddings; Christmas cheeses; coffee and petits fours; and Christmas digestifs. So, kick off with a Frankincendiary 75, tuck into green sausages, square eggs and proper soldiers, and then possibly opt for a goosey-goosey-extravagander. Merry Christmas!
