A funny thing...

Gosh, it;s been ages since I last wrote anything!! This Christmas thing is certainly filling up the day!!! I haven't really started the creative cookery yet (apart from a very nice Cranberry and Orange relish) but I will be in full swing from tomorrow onwards so I will do my best to publish something soon, but it might have to wait until after Boxing Day!!!

Anyhoo, I braved Tesco today to get a few things that Morrisons and Ocado don't do (amazingly Ocado got up our very snowy and slippery hill this morning!!) and I got the jolly checkout guy!! The lady in front had a bag of small onions at the end of her pile of stuff and as he handed this final item to her he said "That's shallott!!" Well, we all fell about laughing and when it was my turn he kept making very Two Ronnies quips like "Your crackers, milady" and "fork 'andles" It was very funny at the time and a great antidote to the chaos around us!!!!

"Bogland Medicine" or Cranberry and Orange Relish is dead easy to make:

75ml fresh orange juice

75ml water

150g caster sugar

300g fresh cranberries

Zest of one orange

Heat the water, juice and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes until the popping has stopped. Remove from heat and stir in the zest. Pour into a sterilised 500g kilner jar and seal. Leave to cool.

This has a fabulously tart and citrussy taste and a rich red colour. It's great with turkey, goose, duck, ham or cheeses. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!