Homemade edible gifts for Christmas
Time to make
Hello to you! I hope you have had a lovely week. I am writing to you from a island in the Maldives Coco Budu Hithi where I am doing a weeks residency here cooking in their beautiful waterside restaurant Aqua. It is a beautiful place and where the hospitality is so warm and welcoming.
Coastal Cuisine - I have created two menus one lunch and one dinner menu with nods to local ingredients like coconuts, bread fruit, mangoes and jack fruit. Such a wonderful experience and incredible opportunity. One of my children Finn is passionate about cooking and looks like he wants to make it eventually his career. Finn is a natural in the kitchen so has joined me here in the kitchen as my sous chef. As ever Finn has risen to this challenge and is loving learning new skills and working with other chefs from around the world. Dilsha the sous chef at Aqua and his team have been so welcoming. Recipes have been swapped I will bring you his Sri Lankan fish curry recipe soon.
Seaside days, snorkelling, kayaking, swimming, wandering, combing for seashells and coral. Cocktail hour, fish suppers and sunsets. Where time stands still and island life is mesmerising.
A few more days remain here and we will return to Cornwall where my thoughts will turn again to Christmas. I hope you have enjoyed glimpses into life here on Coco.
Christmas is a time for giving. When in doubt I gift food. Food is the way to so many peoples hearts and I firmly believe cooking for oneself or family and friends is the most loving of all human skills. I always think the best presents are those which are filled with time, care and love. What could be better than a bundle of homemade sweet treats wrapped up in paper and tied up in festive string. It is the thought that counts so this year be cool and make a gift or two for the ones you love.
This week I share some recipes with you that make perfect presents and are such fun to make, get creative from recipes to wrapping. I hope this will inspire you. From Bramble vodka to festive biscotti, chocolate & hazelnut fudge and shortbread snowflakes and baubles to hang on the tree. If this does inspire you please let me know I love hearing about what you are cooking and if you have tried any of my recipes.
I will see you tomorrow (to my paid subscriber community) at 10am for my *Recipe for the weekend* “Gratin Dauphinois with spinach and clotted cream”
As always ‘My Kitchen Journal’ on Substack is a reader supported publication if you like what I do and enjoy my writing and recipes I would love you to sign up to my lovely paid subscriber community or share with your friends.
FREE subscribers - Every month one recipe and story with my style edit, travel and what inspires me.
PAID subscriber benefits - Every week on a Friday one recipe and story & on a Saturday one 'Recipe for the Weekend' and stories with my style edit, travel and what inspires me. (There will always be bonus recipes too)
Coming up next week - What has happened to that old fashioned *drinks party*? ….I think we need to bring them back immediately. Next week I will share with you some wonderful drinks party recipes for this festive season, perfect get ahead canapés or quick to put together for unexpected guests. Oh the joys. Until then have a wonderful week. E x