COOKING IN: Start planning now - to do as little as possible, writes Hugo Arnold.
I've long wished I could stretch Christmas throughout the year, at least the bits I enjoy most. These are the relaxed atmosphere, the warmth and smell of people's houses, the fire roaring by 11 in the morning rather than the more usual 11 o'clock at night. Reaching this Nirvana is not easy for most of us, but planning is the first step, and list-making follows closely behind.
Your main feast may be traditional, but all those other occasions leave plenty of scope for easy entertaining. Focus on one dish and let the rest slide into place. You may have made a delicious almond tart, so why not keep the main course simple - a casserole perhaps, or even a whole roasted salmon stuffed with herbs. The real work can then be done in advance. If you are going to work hard at your main course, buy the tart, or better still, open a jar of delicious wine-soaked pears and a tub of ice-cream.
Parma ham and smoked salmon are instant food of the best kind, but then so too is a jar of well-sourced pâté, or a tin of good quality anchovies and red peppers scattered over some well-chosen leaves. A jar or two of hummus turned into a bowl with a dollop of olive oil and a dusting of paprika will keep everyone happy, and if you have some olives then so much the better.
If numbers are a concern, then there is every reason to keep it simple; sausages and mash with lots of onion gravy, apple crumble with lashing of cream. And don't forget the refreshing qualities of spice - a mild or not-so-mild curry can come as a welcome relief, particularly with bowls of yoghurt and chutney.
Soup always gets the thumbs-up in our house; spiced red lentil perhaps, or carrot with lashings of fresh coriander. And the freezer is always full of garlic bread, made with true efficiency around now, for the weeks ahead.
Salads, too, have a big role to play, their colour and lightness particularly welcome attributes when everything can seem heavy going. A green salad certainly, but try too the likes of Little Gems with a jar of roasted red peppers with crispy garlic; or parsnip, yoghurt and date salad; or shredded cabbage tossed with mint, caraway, garlic and vinaigrette.