Recipe | A Stir-Up Sunday Pudding

Sticky, sweet and steamy, this is a pudding packed with wintry flavours and spicy aromas to enjoy making now and then enjoy eating in a few short weeks.

Celebrating moments and traditions is a lovely way to mark the passing of the weeks in these last months of the year. One such tradition is Stir-Up Sunday, which this year falls on 26 November. If you fancy stirring up a pudding ready for Christmas, you might like this pudding with a fruity twist.

Ingredients

150g dried figs
150g Medjool dates
100g dried cranberries
100g raisins
200g Demerara sugar
3 tbsp rum, brandy or whisky
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
75g fresh white breadcrumbs
75g plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
50g almonds
100g butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing
2 large eggs

Method

1. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to snip the dried figs into small pieces, about the size of a raisin. Squash the dates and pull out the stones, then finely chop the dates.

2. Pop the figs and dates in a large mixing bowl with the dried cranberries, raisins and Demerara sugar. Pour over the liquor and the juice of 2 oranges. Tip in the orange zest. Mix well and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave overnight (or for at least 6 hrs) to soak, so most of the liquid is absorbed and the sugar begins to dissolve.

3. Add the breadcrumbs, flour and mixed spice to the soaked fruit. Finely chop the almonds and add them to the bowl. Stir well to combine.

4. Add the room temperature butter to a separate bowl and beat till smooth and creamy. Crack in 1 egg and beat into the butter. Crack in the second egg and beat til combined – it will look a little lumpy, but don't worry. Add to the dried fruit mix and fold to combine. Try to mix in all the butter and not leave any unincorporated lumps.

5. Generously butter a 1 ltr pudding basin. Spoon the mixture into the basin. Cover with a pleated piece of buttered foil (the fold in the foil allows for expansion) with the buttered side towards the pudding. Push the foil down around the edges of the basin and tie it in place with kitchen string, so no steam can escape. Make a string handle so it's easier to lift the whole thing out of the pan.

6. Place the basin in a steamer above some water or stand it on a rack in a large pan. Pour water into the pan so that it comes half way up the basin. Bring to the boil, then lower the temperature and simmer for 6 hrs for a light pudding, or 8 hours for a darker one. Check the water level now and then as it may need to be topped up.

7. If you're not serving the pudding straight away, allow the pudding to cool completely. Replace the foil with a new piece and make sure it is well sealed. Store somewhere cool and dry for up to 1 year. To reheat the pudding, steam or simmer it in water for about 1 hr. Turn the warm pudding out onto a plate and serve with cream, custard or brandy butter.

Photography by Abel & Cole

This recipe is by Rachel de Thample for Abel & Cole. You can find this and more recipes on the Abel & Cole website. In our November issue, Lucy Brazier embraces the joy of marking traditions and making your own throughout the year, and shares her Stir-Up Sunday memories.

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Recipe | Fruit and nut chocolate discs

These eye-catching chocolates work with any mix of nuts and dried fruit that takes your fancy. Just the thing with coffee after dinner, or parcelled up as a gift. If you’ve neglected to buy a present for someone you’re seen in the Betwixtmas period, a bag of these would certainly be very welcome - and they’re a great way to use up the mountain of Christmas chocolate, too.

Makes 12 discs
150g dark or milk chocolate
Handful of pistachio nuts, crushed (place in a bag and crush with a rolling pin)
12 pecans
12 yellow raisins
Handful of cranberries

1 Melt the chocolate in a pan, or in the microwave in a glass bowl – 30 seconds at a time, to avoid burning the chocolate.
2 Line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases. Add a teaspoon of melted chocolate to each case, swirl with the back of the spoon to spread evenly. Add a generous sprinkle of crushed pistachios to each. Place one pecan and yellow raisin per disc and 2–3 cranberries.
3 Place in the fridge to set; they should be ready in 15–20 mins. When ready to serve, remove the discs from the cases. 

This recipe was originally published in our December 2017 issue.

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Christmas | Why do we kiss under the mistletoe?

This is still a matter for Christmas debate – up there with what is the best/worst Quality Street.

Some link it to the Norse tale of the goddess of love, Frigge: mistletoe’s berries are said to be the tears she cried for her son; others say it’s a symbol of fertility, thanks to its seasonal rigour.

Either way, kissing under it seems to have started in the 18th century in Britain, reached mass popularity in the 19th and has provided fodder for sitcom and soap storylines for as long as there has been Christmas TV.

This blog was first published in the December 2017 issue of The Simple Things.

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Recipe | Leftovers Christmas Pie

Serves 4

200g butter
300g stoneground unbleached white flour
500ml whole milk
200g cheddar cheese (or any leftover Christmas cheese), grated
½ nutmeg, grated
300g brussels sprouts, sliced (or any leftover veg)
200g leftover ham, shredded (or use bacon lardons)
300g leftover turkey 500g rough puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. In a saucepan, melt the butter over a low–medium heat. Once melted, add the flour, beating it into the butter to make a paste. Gradually add the milk, whisking as you go, to make a silky white sauce.

2 Add the grated cheese to the sauce, along with the nutmeg and stir until melted. Then add the veg, ham and turkey, plus a good pinch of salt and pepper.

3 Pour the filling into a pie dish leaving room at the top for the lid.

4 Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to 1cm thick. Lay it over the top of the pie dish, then fork the edges down to seal. Add a couple of steam holes and use a pastry brush to brush the top with beaten egg for a golden finish once cooked.

5 Bake the pie for 25–30 mins, or until golden brown

Taken from Pipers Farm: The Sustainable Meat Cookbook: Recipes & Wisdom for Considered Carnivores by Abby Allen & Rachel Lovell (Kyle Books). Photography: Matt Austin

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Recipe | Mince Pie and Pear Strudel

Baklava meets mince pie. Yum! It’s all down to the filo pastry and brushing each
layer with plenty of melted butter as you go (we never said this was a health dish)

Serves 6-8

100g unsalted butter
Zest of one orange (or 2-3 clementines), plus extra for garnish
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
4 sheets of filo pastry
4 tbsp toasted, chopped hazelnuts
400g mincemeat
1 large pear, stalk removed, grated
1 tbsp demerara sugar

To garnish:
Curls of orange or clementine zest
Extra nuts and/or icing sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Over a low-medium heat, melt the butter in a pan, with the zest, cinnamon, mixed spice and sugar.

2 Line a baking sheet with baking paper and lay out the first sheet of filo. Brush with the butter mixture and sprinkle over a tablespoon of the hazelnuts. Place the next sheet on top and repeat the process until all four sheets have been coated. Keep the remaining butter to brush the top.

3 Lay the filo so that the sheets are landscape, then add a column of mincemeat down the centre and top with the grated pear. Bring one side of the pastry over and fold around the filling, then repeat with the other side.

4 You may need to turn the strudel so that it fits lengthwise on the tray. Brush the top with the remaining butter and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 25 – 30 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown.

5 Remove and allow to cool on a rack, or serve warm. Garnish with orange zest, extra nuts and a light dusting of icing sugar.

This delicious dessert is just one of the puds in our feature The Proof is in the Pudding, from our December issue (in shops now). It also includes recipes for Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, Pavlova with Christmas-Spiced Pears & Pistachios and Winterberry Prosecco Trifle. All excellent alternatives to a traditional Christmas Pud!

More Christmas bakes and makes…

More from our December issue…

Make | Retro Glitter Decorations

Getting together with friends to make something beautiful and useful – what’s not to like!

You will need:
Air-drying clay
Rolling pin
Festive cutters
Skewer
PVA glue and spreader
Biodegradable glitter
Twine

1 Roll out your air-dried clay to around 3mm thick. Use your cutters to cut out different shapes, remembering to use the skewer to make a small hole near the top for string.

2 Transfer the decorations to a tray and leave to harden for 24-72 hours.

3 Once dry, spread one side with glue and dip into bowls of glitter. Shake off the excess.When the glue and glitter are dry (after about an hour), thread with twine to hang from the tree.

Maker’s note: These will last for many Christmases if stored correctly. Layer with greaseproof paper in an airtight container and keep flat.

This idea is just one of the makes and bakes from our Advent feature, Christmas is Coming by Lottie Storey, with photography by Kym Grimshaw.

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Recipe | Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate

A hot drink when it’s cold outside is one of life’s simple pleasures. Classic Christmassy confectionery adds a festive feel. (It’s not Terry’s; it’s ours)

Serves 2

100g orange chocolate, such as Terry’s Chocolate Orange
30g dark chocolate
1 orange
400ml whole milk
100ml single cream
Pinch of salt

1 Finely chop both types of chocolate using a sharp knife.

2 Using a peeler, remove a 10cm piece of peel from the orange.

3 Combine the chocolate, peel, milk, cream and salt in a pan and place over a low heat. While the chocolate slowly melts, stir well with a wooden spoon.

4 Once melted, pour into two mugs and serve immediately, or transfer to a flask for outdoor adventuring.

This warming festive drink is just one of the recipes and ideas from our feature, Christmas is Coming from the December issue. It also includes popcorn garlands, gingerbread snowflake biscuits, retro glitter decorations, Night Before Christmas cocktails and lots more things to make and do during advent.

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Cake in the House | Mulled Wine & Cranberry Tea Bread

Declare mulled wine season open and seek out fresh cranberries for this spiced cake (it’s also a good way to use up leftovers, come January).

Serves 12

A wine-mulling spice bag*
200ml light, fruity red wine
1 tbsp clear honey
75g ready-to-eat dried figs, chopped
50g crystallised stem ginger, chopped
75g blanched almonds, chopped
50g dried cranberries
50g dried sour cherries
100g light brown soft sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of 2 oranges
100g fresh cranberries
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice

For the topping:
75g dried cranberries (or dried sour cherries, or sultanas)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tbsp redcurrant jam

1 Start by lining a buttered 7cm deep loaf tin with baking paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 2-3.

2 Place the spice bag in a pan with the red wine and honey and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Leave over a very low heat for 5 mins, then set aside.

3 Mix together the figs, ginger, almonds, dried cranberries, cherries and sugar. Remove the spice bag from the mulled wine, then pour the warm wine over the dried fruit and leave to soak for 30 mins.

4 Stir the eggs, orange zest and the fresh cranberries into the soaked dried fruit. Next, sift in the flour, cinnamon and allspice and mix well.

5 Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 55 mins. Leave to cool in the tin, turning out once cool.

6 To make the topping, gently heat the cranberries, orange juice and jam in a pan over a low heat, stirring until dissolved.

7 Brush the top of the loaf with the topping, then spoon the cranberries along the middle of the loaf and leave to cool before serving.

Cook’s note: If you can’t get dried cranberries or dried sour cherries you can swap for the same weight of sultanas

Taken from Comfort: A Winter Cookbook (Ryland Peters & Small). Photography: © Ryland Peters & Small

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Make | Festive Things on Strings

The best decorations are the ones you make sitting round the table over mince pies and hot chocolates with carols on in the background. Here are a few things you can fling on strings and then hang about the house looking pleasingly cheerful yet rustic…

1. Popcorn. It’s our go-to garland string item. Fun to make, delicious to eat as you decorate, and it looks so pretty wrapped around the tree, too. (For most effective results, hang the popcorn garlands in a spiral going from the top to the bottom of the tree, widening with each circuit as you go). You can find out exactly how to make popcorn garlands on page 11 of the December issue of The Simple Things. 

2. Cranberries. Plump, deep pink and so Christmassy, cranberries look stunning threaded onto cotton. For more natural garland inspiration, turn to our home tour in the December issue and read about Christmas Crafting Queen Holly Grundy’s Norfolk home. 

3. Dried orange slices. Dried in a dehydrator or a very low oven, slices of orange look like tiny stained glass window when threaded onto cotton and hung in the light. They smell absolutely delicious, too. 

4. Dried apple slices. If you core the apple before slicing you’ll have rings which look charming with lengths of ribbon threaded through the holes. Try tying a cinnamon stick in for every few apple slices you thread for a more textured and even more fragrant look. 

5. Bay leaves. For a simple, evergreen look, strings of bay leaves look wonderful. You probably need a bay tree to pull this off or you’ll need to invest in an awful lot of Schwartz jars. 

6. Chillis. Festive and fiesta-ish, fiery chillies look fun strung up in the kitchen. 

7. Pretzels and monkey nuts. This is a fun one as an edible decoration for a pre-Christmas drinks gathering. Be prepared to clear up lots of crumbs. 

8. Wine bottle corks. Start saving them up and simply thread onto cotton with a needle. Whether you’ll look like a lush or just like you know how to throw a great party, we wouldn’t like to comment.

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Photography by Rebecca Lewis

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Christmas | Clementine and sage posset

Posset is a beautiful creamy dessert that is ridiculously easy to make, and here its richness is tempered by the addition of the sage

This refreshing dessert will perk up a leftovers lunch for friends and use up and double cream and clementines left over from Christmas.

Serves 6
600ml double cream
200g caster sugar
8 sage leaves
Zest and juice of 3 clementines
3 peeled and sliced clementines, to serve

you will need
6 small glasses or ramekins

1 Heat the double cream, sugar and sage leaves together over a low heat, stirring until all of the sugar grains have dissolved. Bring to a gentle simmer for 1 min, then remove from the heat and fish out the sage leaves. 
2 Add the zest and juice to the cream mixture and stir well, then divide the mixture between the glasses. Leave to chill for several hours (you can make this a day before and keep it in the fridge).
3 Serve with the sliced clementines, topped with chopped sage and a little honey.

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From our December issue…

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Christmas crackers: How to wear a paper hat plus six awful cracker jokes

There is a moment at every Christmas lunch when the paper hat is unfolded from
a cracker and plonked on the head. These crown shaped hats are peculiarly British and are said to either date back to Roman Saturnalia celebrations, or Twelfth Night knees-ups as a nod to the king or queen, depending on which source you believe. Whatever their provenance, these hats that suit no one are best worn without self-consciousness and endured until the turkey arrives, when they can be ‘accidentally’ brushed off and swept under the table.

Six awful cracker jokes

How do you drain your sprouts at Christmas?
With an advent colander.

Who hides in a bakery at Christmas?
A mince spy.

What do vampires put on their turkey?
Gravey.

Why did the turkey decide to join the band?
Because it had drumsticks.

What's the best thing to put in a Christmas pudding?
Your teeth.

What did one snowman say to the other snowman?
Can you smell carrot?

You’re welcome.
 

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Christmas recipe: Mulled white wine

The scents of cloves and cinnamon wafting from this wintry punch are a wonderful accompaniment for any Yuletide gathering, or take some out to warm carol singers this evening

Mulled white wine with cinnamon & cloves

Warming spices and wine in a toasty tipple that tastes as good as it smells

Serves 6
1 x 750ml bottle white wine
500ml cider
Juice and zest of 1⁄2 orange
1⁄2 lemon, sliced
3–4 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks, plus extra to serve (optional)
1 tbsp cloves
1 vanilla pod
4 tbsp caster sugar

Heat all the ingredients in a pan, until steaming but not boiling. 

Serve with cinnamon sticks, if you like.

This recipe was originally published in our December 2017 issue but it’s just as warming and festive today.

More from the December issue:

More Christmas posts:

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Bake: sun bread for Yule

Make bread rings that look like the sun to summon it back (and to dip into your soup, too)

The Pagan celebration of Yule (Winter Solstice) begins on 21st December and we still incorporate many of Yule’s traditions today, such as bringing in a Yule log and hanging mistletoe. This simple sun bread is an easy make and a simple way to cheer and warm the darkest day of the year. Make one for your supper to dip into soup and one for a friend or neighbour to spread the sharing message of Yule.

You will need

400g strong plain white flour

115g plain white flour

300ml slightly warm water

1 tsp salt

1 sachet (7g) easy-blend

dried yeast

How to make

1 Sift flours and salt into a large bowl, mix in the yeast and add the water. Mix to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins.

2 Oil a bowl and put the dough into it, covering the top with cling film. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size.

3 Flour three baking trays. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured

surface and split into three portions.

4 Take one portion and roll it out into a long, thin length and join the ends

to form a circle. Place the circle onto a baking sheet and stretch it a little

more, then take a handful of flour and sprinkle and rub it all over the circle.

5 Take a pair of scissors and snip diagonally into the ring, then pull out

the point of the snip to form the first of the bread sun’s rays. Repeat all the

way around, pulling out the points as you go, and taking care not to disturb

the flour coating: it is the difference between the flour-coated parts and

the uncoated snipped parts that will help form the ray-like patterning.

6 Cover loosely with cling film or a clean tea towel and then repeat the

whole process with the other pieces of dough. Leave the covered rings to

prove until they’ve doubled in size.

7 Heat your oven to 200C/Fan 180/400F and bake for 35-40 mins,

until the tops are golden brown and the bases make a hollow sound when

tapped. Serve warm or cold.

This recipe was first featured in our December 2017 issue alongside other recipes to celebrate Yule, by Lia Leendertz. Photography by Kirstie Young.

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Science | Christmas Eve Explained

Concerned about Santa’s travelling plans this year? Fear not. We’ve uncovered the science behind the annual delivery of Santa’s sacks

Anyone who’s battled with Post Office queues during Advent will have at some point spent some time pondering upon how Santa makes it to 700 million odd children in different time zones around the globe. To save you wondering any further, we’ve followed the science and explained the Father Christmas Facts for you here. 

Santa Science Lesson 1: breaking the speed of light

Einstein showed that a very fast-moving object actually slows down time. Santa has around 31 hours (due to the rotation of the Earth) in which to deliver gifts to all time zones. To do this, he must travel at a speed of around 6 million miles per hour. However, as he speeds up, time would slow down, meaning he could take it a little easier on the sleigh pedals. 

Santa Science Lesson: fitting down chimneys

You’d think all the chimneys might slow Santa down but, assuming he goes down them himself rather than simply hurling the presents out of the sleigh and hoping for the best, the Theory of Relativity again helps him out. Travelling at 6 million miles per hour would make Santa thinner (in the direction he is travelling in). So as he whizzes down the chimney, his body becomes longer and thinner, allowing him to squeeze through the most awkward of spaces. 

Santa Science Lesson: space travel

The sleigh travels faster than the speed at which NASA spacecraft return to Earth. To prevent the sleight incinerating itself, we conclude that Santa must have used the sort of heat shield that NASA employ to prevent rockets burning up as they reenter the atmosphere. The technology was only developed during the Cold War so we can only assume that before then, the Arctic temperatures the reindeer and sleigh bring with them from the North Pole are enough to cool the sleigh as it travels. 

Santa Science Lesson: fitting all the presents on the sleigh

The question of how the sleigh holds all the presents, both in terms of mass and volume is an interesting one. Scientists estimate the sleigh, once fully loaded, would weigh approximately 1.2 million tonnes. The number of reindeer required to pull that would be around 5.6 million. We can therefore conclude that either Santa has a lot more reindeer than we know about, or that he is using newly developed nanotechnology to somehow shrink the presents on the sleigh and return them to their usual stature on solid ground. We can’t think of any other explanation.

We hope that’s answered all your gift delivery queries. If all that has got you excited for stockings, turn to page 116 of our December issue where we’ve gathered some snaps of our favrourite mantelpiece stockings, like the ones above by @drs.wife.

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Festive food | Cheeseboard Champions

Learn a thing or two about twinning cheeses with complimentary chutneys (and other sticky things)

Cheese is a key part of Christmas as far as we’re concerned. However, an excellent cheeseboard - the cheeseboard to end all cheeseboards - is as much about all the extras… the nuts, the grapes, the sticks of celery, the biscuits, and definitely the jewel-coloured pots of pickles and chutneys. And one chutney is absolutely not enough. You need to make sure that every cheese on your board has its own sticky partner to pair with. 

Cheese: Strong hard cheeses (eg mature cheddar or Lincolnshire poacher)

Pair with: A Caramelised red onion chutney

Cheese: Milder hard cheeses (eg double Gloucester or red Leicester)

Pair with: A tomato-based chutney

Cheese: Drier hard cheeses (eg Parmesan or gouda)

Pair with: Mostarda (an Italian condiment made from candied fruit and a mustardy syrup)

Cheese: Goat’s cheese

Pair with: Something with a kick of chill like a tomato and chilli chutney, or a red onion marmalade

Cheese: Blue cheeses (eg gorgonzola or Danish blue)

Pair with: Rosemary and gin jelly

Cheese: Strong blues (eg tsilton)

Pair with: Fig chutney

Cheese: White rind soft cheeses (eg cambazola or brie)

Pair with: A Plum and Apple chutney, Orange - brie loves anything fruity

Cheese: Sheep’s cheeses (eg manchego and pecorino)

Pair with: Membrillo (quince paste)

If you’re putting together your own Cheeseboard To End All Cheeseboards, you will enjoy our feature Brie Merry and Bright, by Catherine Frawley, starting on page 16 of our December issue. It has lots of recipes to add interest to your cheeseboard, from breadsticks and chestnut hummus to pickled shallots and fennel oatcakes. And, of course, a wonderful festive chutney.

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Christmas | What Does Your Nativity Role Say About You?

Photograpy: Getty

:Did you play Mary? Do you work in retail now? No? Hang on… our Nativity Career Predictor is on the blink again… 

Forget psychometric testing, your career prospects are apparently all mapped out according to the part you played in your school nativity play. This is according to a study by (rather appropriately) Virgin Money back in 2019, which looked at the earnings of 2,000 people against which parts they had in their nativities as children. Marys were most likely to work in Retail, Angel Gabriels in Healthcare… But a happy work life isn’t all about salary is it? We’ve analysed the information from the Virgin survey and have put it through our Simple Things Nativity Part Career Predictor. 

Have a go yourself and see if we got you right, or maybe you’ll find inspiration for a whole new career path ahead! Find the part you played in your nativity play below and see what your career holds! NB If you’re already a shepherd or own an inn, you can probably skip this. . 

Mary

Meek and mild, and usually draped in blue robes, Mary may be the most sought-after nativity role, but rarely has many lines. Like we say, meek and mild were her watchwords. Having given her husband-to-be the shocking news that they’re expecting a baby, her main part in proceedings is to sit on a donkey and then look benign, having delivered a Tiny Tears doll. But Mary has an inner strength, and a quiet reverence that would be an asset in many a career. 

The survey said: Marys are most likely to work in retail and earn on average £39,000 per annum. 

Our Nativity Part Career Predictor said: Marys might have a career in midwifery. We never see much obstetric help happening on stage, so we can only assume stoic Mary gets on with it alone. But children playing Mary also tend to be confident in the limelight as well as well-behaved. No nursery teacher would hand that kind of responsibility to any child likely to pick their nose on stage or use their 15 minutes of fame for nefarious purposes. If you were a Mary we can see you as perhaps heading up a green or ethical organisation; somewhere where you can use your stage presence to do good. 

Angel Gabriel

The Angel is another popular part, even though his time on stage is actually fairly short. You get some of the classic lines though: “Be not afraid!” etc. And you probably got a fancy pair of wings and a lovely foil halo too. 

The survey said: Angels are most likely to work in marketing and communications and earn on average £40,000 per annum. 

Our Nativity Part Career Predictor said: If you played the Angel Gabriel you probably were indeed a great communicator, with a LOUD voice and a love of shiny things. They don’t get shrinking violets to play the Angel of the Lord, after all. We think you might have made a career for yourself in the theatre, or perhaps as an auctioneer. We hope you’re still bringing glad tidings of great joy one way or another.

Inn Keeper

A small but vital part in the proceedings. For without the Inn Keeper there would have been no stable. Nativity Inn Keepers tend to have a bit of a twinkle in their eye. Which of us has not held our breath as the Inn Keeper is asked if there is room at the inn, and half hoped they might go off at a tangent and offer a honeymoon suite, after all? 

The survey said: Inn Keepers are most likely to be manual labourers and earn on average £37,000 a year. 

Our Nativity Part Career Predictor said: Hospitality is definitely a career path for Inn Keepers, but also in a wider sense; Inn Keepers like to be helpful and kind, and find solutions to problems. Perhaps a troubleshooter or project manager of some sort would suit you? Otherwise work within a charity or organisation such as Citizens’ Advice, where you’re able to use your knowledge and problem-solving skills to help others find their best paths.  

Shepherd

If you managed to navigate a crook and an oversized dressing gown on a rickety stage, you’re probably a fairly robust sort of person (when you’re not being sore afraid). 

The survey said: Shepherds are most likely to work in IT and earn on average £29,000 a year.

Our Nativity Part Career Predictor said: Careers in animal husbandry aside, those who play shepherds, patiently watching over their flocks and following the star to the stable, uncomplainingly carrying lambs, have lots of transferable skills; they might make good educationalists or be happy working in social care. 

Narrator

If you were chosen to be the narrator, you were truly the golden child at your school. Narrators carry a huge weight of responsibility, and must be clearly spoken, charming, well-presented and confident, as well as having a good memory for lines. 

The survey said: Narrators are most likely to work in education and earn on average £24,000 a year. 

Our Nativity Part Career Predictor said: Narrators are the true star of the show and if that was your Nativity role, you’re probably confident, charismatic and a born leader. You might make a great CEO or find a role in entertainment. Whatever you do, you’ll find a niche for yourself, front and centre, possibly people-facing, and with plenty for you to say and do. 

If you;d like to reminisce further over Nativity plays and other Christmas rites of passage, you might enjoy our feature Moments of Magic starting on page 54, which looks at first bikes, carol concerts, taking over the Christmas dinner and getting the train home for Christmas. We’re feeling festive already.

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Rituals | The Christmas Decs Box

It comes out each year, like an old friend. Here are a few ways to mark the return of the Christmas Decorations Box

Getting the box of decorations down from the attic is the moment Christmas truly arrives, isn’t it? Lifting back cardboard and pulling away bubble wrap to find familiar jewel coloured baubles nestled beneath feels a bit like coming home. And the moment when all the decorations go back in the box for another years often feels a bit poignant too, as the celebrations come to an end and life returns to normal once more. 

We think our Christmas Decs Boxes deserve a bit of reverence. So we’ve put together a few ideas for small rituals that will help make the putting up and the bringing down of the decs a bit more special, and a bit less of a chore. 

Putting up the decs rituals

1. Pick a festive tipple to be the drink you always have as you dress the tree and deck the halls. It can be as simple as a sherry if you want but you might like to pick something a bit unusual that’s particular to your household - have a look at The Simple Things blog and search ‘tipple’ for more ideas on festive cocktails you can make. It doesn’t have to be alcoholic though; try a non-alcoholic eggnog perhaps? Or a clementine mockjito maybe?  (Clementine juice muddled with sugar and lemon wedges, poured over ice and topped up with sparkling water.) Having a special ‘get the decs up’ tipple really makes it feel like the festivities are beginning. You can keep the recipe for your tipple in your decs box in case you need reminding. 

2. Keep a Decs Box guest book. Pop a little notebook in your box and each year, make a note of the date you put the decorations up, who was there to help and what you did. You could pop a photo in too if you like. As it grows each year, it will become a lovely little piece of family history. 

3. Make a playlist. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of Carols from Kings as you detangle the fairy lights, but if you make your own playlist on Spotify you can add to it whenever you come across a track you like. Doesn’t even have to be Christmassy; anything that gets you in the mood for throwing holly sprigs on top of picture frames. 

Taking down the decs rituals

1. Have an online Decs Down party. Get your wider family, or just a good friend you’re long overdue a natter with, on a video call, make a cuppa (or something stronger if you like) and catch up while you wind lights around cereal packets and carefully nestle baubles back in egg boxes. This idea is great if taking the decorations down always makes you feel maudlin. Once you’ve got everything packed up and had a lovely chat, get someone else to run the Hoover round and before you know it, everything is clean and sparkling and you’re already looking forward to a new year and new plans. 

2. Pop a copy of this year’s Radio Times, or a newspaper if you like, into the decs box as you close it. There’s something oddly fascinating about looking back and seeing what you watched on telly at Christmas 2008 somehow - like your own Blue Peter time capsule. 

3. Write to your future Christmas self. You can tell yourself anything - what you did this Christmas, any highlights and lowlights, what you’re hoping for in the coming year, and maybe even what your dreams are for this time next year. It makes interesting reading when you get the box down from the attic again next December. 

The picture above is one of our ‘simple things’ from our December issue. If you’re feeling inspired by the Christmas Decs Box rituals, you might also like to read our feature The Calm Before Christmas, starting on page 82, which has lots of ideas for an alternative advent full of kind and quiet rituals and habits.

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Recipe | Lucky Meringue Mushrooms (Gluckspilze)

Sweet, advent treats to make to get you in the mood. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Mushrooms are seen as a symbol of good luck in Germany. As well as glass ornaments for the Christmas tree, they are also made into edible marzipan confections and these light and crunchy meringues. With a chewy centre, these are delectable on their own, but also make great ‘lucky’ decorations.

Makes about 20
2 egg whites
140g caster sugar
80g dark chocolate
¼ tsp coconut oil
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Preheat the oven to 100C/Fan 80C/ Gas ¼ and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

2 Put the egg whites into a bowl and, using an electric mixer, whisk for a couple of minutes on a high speed until stiff peaks form. Reduce the speed and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking all the while, until incorporated and glossy.

3 To make the caps of the mushrooms, spoon 20 tsp of the meringue mixture, spaced 2cm apart, onto one of the baking sheets. Flatten the mounds with the back of a spoon until they’re between 2–3cm in diameter, then round off the tops.

4 To make the stalks, spoon heaped teaspoons of the mixture 2cm apart onto the second sheet. This time try to lift the spoon up as you do so to create taller (around 3–4cm high) peaks. Bake for 45 mins and don’t be tempted to open the oven door. Once the time is up, turn the oven off and let the meringues cool completely inside the oven.

5 Once the meringues are cooled, put the chocolate and coconut oil into a bain-marie with a 1cm of water in the bottom. Heat on low then, once the chocolate starts melting, stir until glossy. Spoon chocolate onto the underside of each mushroom cap. The chocolate will act as the glue to hold the stalk in place. While holding a cap in one hand, gently push a stalk into the centre of the chocolatecoated side – you will hear a cracking sound as it breaks through the base of the meringue cap; don’t worry, it’s a good thing as it means they will stick together well. Place cap-side down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining caps and stalks.

6 Once the chocolate has set (which will take an hour or so), turn them over onto their stalks and, using a sieve, dust the tops of the caps with cocoa powder.

Cook’s note: Stored in an airtight container, these will keep well for about 2 weeks.

Taken from Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas by Anja Dunk (Quadrille). Photography: Anja Dunk. You can find more of Anja’s recipes for Advent bakes and makes starting from page 75.

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Staple foods 7 | Champagne

Only at this time of year would champagne qualify as a staple - but it is a time to eat, drink and be merry

Native to Northern France, only 60 miles east of Paris, champagne is a sparkling wine from the region of the same name, which is home to 319 wine-making villages and more than 15,000 wine growers.

Traditionally, it is made of a blend of white and red grapes – pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay. While still wine is the result of fermentation, champagne’s bubbles, like most sparkling wines, are the product of a second fermentation through the addition of yeast and sugar. Since 1936 it’s been awarded an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) thanks to its unique terroir, with its northerly latitude, cool climate and chalky soils.

Other sparkling wines are available round the world, from Spain’s cava and Italy’s prosecco to Germany’s Deutscher sekt. And you can find increasingly good sparkling wines from England, Brazil, Australia and South Africa. But a bottle of champagne is popped around the world every two seconds.

This feature was originally published in our December 2017 issue, but there’s always time for champagne. We hope whatever you’re drinking this evening, it brings a little sparkle with it. A very happy and hopeful 2021 from all of us at The Simple Things.

From our December issue:

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Quiz | Your Fictional Christmas Persona

Grab a sherry, a snack and a quiet half and hour and take part in our fun, festive quiz to discover who
your fictional Christmas persona is…

1. When do you usually start planning for Christmas?
A Usually just in the nick of time.
B I’ve been ticking off the sleeps since summer ended.
C When the first frost arrives.
D It’s Christmas? Oops. When do the shops shut?
E Plans? Well, for planning I care not a jot
The plans that I plan you’d call more of a plot!

2. When does your tree go up?
A Not until all the family are home to do it together.
B On Christmas Eve, as is traditional and correct, of course!
C I prefer to put some outdoor lights around a few of the firs in the garden. All those trinkets indoors make me feel a bit giddy.
D I’ve usually got quite a lot on my plate. Hopefully my other half will get it sorted.
E I steal all the tinsel as soon as I durst,
And I stuff up the tree on December the first.

3. Favourite Christmas food or tipple?
A A flaming rum punch, no, wait!… A mulled wine, extra heavy on the cinnamon.
B Sugar plums dusted with icing sugar and bowls of golden nuts.
C A simple candlelit supper does it for me, or a winter picnic outdoors.
D A whisky Mac.
E I never try anything far too ambitious,
But a simple roast beast is always delicious.

4. What would your ideal Christmas gift be?
A I’d always go for an ‘experience’ type of gift, something that would allow me to spend time with those that I love.
B Something beautiful and magical – a snow globe or a music box? Something that’s well-crafted, which I can treasure.
C A really simple but lovely hat and scarf to keep me toasty outside.
D A pair of socks. Or some slippers. Actually, anything wardrobe-based really, I seem to be running low on everything. And a German phrasebook.
E I don’t get many gifts, which I find quite upsetting.
Christmas for me is all about GETTING!

5. What’s your favourite part of the festivities?
A Listening to the bells ring after Midnight Mass and remembering what it’s all really about.
B The anticipation of Christmas Eve as family arrive and the tree sparkles, packed with presents.
C A walk out in the cold first thing on Christmas morning while everyone else sleeps on.
D Finally getting home from work and putting my feet up. But I like to keep moving over the holiday, too, with some blustery walks out at the coast and a bit of hill walking.
E Not a lot about Christmas impresses me truly
But I do like the chance to be wild and unruly.

6. What’s your Christmas tradition?
A Putting the angel at the top of the tree with my loved ones.
B A trip to the ballet. Always beautiful at this time of year!
C I much prefer to celebrate Midwinter. Usually an outdoor gathering with friends and plenty of fresh air.
D A quiet whisky by myself in my favourite chair before dealing with the hordes of uninvited guests.
E On Christmas Eve night in homage to St Nick
I sneak out of my house and I trick a few tricks.

7. What do you find most tricky about this time of year?
A Wanting to be able to make everyone else happy.
B Getting to sleep on Christmas Eve. It’s just all too exciting!
C Accepting that this special time is all over in the blink of an eye. Nothing lasts forever.
D The public displays of affection and keeping track of the names of everyone you meet at parties.
E The singing, the squealing of girls and of boys,
It’s not the children I loathe, it’s the noise, noise, noise, NOISE!

8. How do you feel once it’s all over?
A Tired but happy, and looking forward to a new year.
B A little melancholy that all the magic is over for another year.
C Christmas is only part of the celebrations. I love the hygge aspect of it and enjoy the dark evenings until spring arrives.
D Exhausted, relieved and in need of a long lie down.
E Having carped about Christmas I will often admit
I find I rather like it, at least a small little bit

Now add up the numbers of As, Bs, Cs etc and scroll down to find out which Christmas character you are.

MOSTLY As Clarence Odbody, the imperfect Christmas fixer
Clarence Odbody is the angel (second class) from It’s a Wonderful Life. While a little way off being positively saintly, you do your best, and for you, this season is all about family, friends and the true meaning of Christmas. You love connecting with those close to you at this time of year. Remember to take some time just for you, though. There’s nothing wrong with a few frivolous pleasures and you deserve to be as happy as the people around you that you work so hard for.

MOSTLY Bs Clara from The Nutcracker, the bringer of the magic
A lover of the magic of Christmas, a little part of your Christmas self never progressed from being six years old – in a good way! The people you spend this time with value you for your never-ending enthusiasm, your unsurpassed mince pies and your wish to always ‘do things properly’ and immerse yourself in the seasonal spirit.

MOSTLY Cs The Snowman, the outdoorsy type
Raymond Briggs’ frosty creation, you feel a need to be out in nature at this time of year. You love the quiet and the dark perhaps more than all the gaudy baubles and lights indoors – and your ideal winter days are spent out in the fresh air noticing how nature persists, even in the coldest months. Your Christmas style can best be described as Hyggelig; a little bit Scandi and pared back, with greenery in abundance. Much as you enjoy the outdoors, you still love coming back to the warmth of your home and gazing into the fire.

MOSTLY Ds John McClane, hero of Die Hard, the festive triumpher over adversity
It’s fair to say John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) doesn’t have an easy Christmas Eve. You might also feel as though the festivities are an insurmountable task and events always seem to conspire against you at this time of year (albeit with less gunfire). Remember you don’t have to take on every task that gets thrown your way; it’s fine to delegate or just decide not everything is getting done. No one will notice (assuming you’re not in a hostage situation like John, of course).

MOSTLY Es The Grinch, the humbug who, secretly, quite likes it all
You find the festive season a bit much and the irritation of it all can bring out your mischievous side. Whatever the reason why, we’d hazard a guess that, unlike the Grinch, it’s not that your heart is two sizes too small. Find the bits of Christmas that you love and throw yourself into them, whether that’s country walks, a phone call with an old friend, or sitting down with a new book. Once the festivities are over, you’ll likely find that, actually, you had a lovely time.

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From our December issue…