BlaenCwmBychan

BlaenCwmBychan

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Family Christmas - with all the trimmings

This was our first attempt to have a proper family Christmas dinner at BCB. Logistics planning started early, with lots of lists. What to cook before hand? how much we could realistically cook there on the Esse?. But all turned out marvellously.

Jan did her usual table and window decorations, this year a design shamelessly stolen from a shop window in Bath.
A lovely Swiss window fabric (while skiing last year), for the inglenook shelf.
Lots of candles (very carefully tended)
The house looked lovely







I went down early to get the house warm and aired - and take our dog that likes to bark constantly in the car - so if you see someone wearing ear defenders while driving down the M4 - that's probably me!
Very cute Jonah


Christmas day was 6 of us for dinner. Managed to cook a turkey crown and a ham, and roast veg in the oven. This takes careful tending of the Esse to keep the oven up to temperature, and judicious use of the top hobs. Everything takes longer than you think (except boiling on the hot hob)
One learning is to make sure the pans have heavy and flat bases. We used to use old 2nd hand saucepans, but these were useless.

In the afternoon (when the rain had eased), the braver souls took a walk down the hill to the Cothi valley. A stunning and untouched part of the river , where it carves through a deep canyon, exposing silver grey shale, eddying pools and fast running in parts....one of my favourites walks in the area.

 

Boxing day involved full English breakfast for 6. With eggs on the hob (bake-o-glide round papers always impress)
Then the rest of the family descended, and so 13+baby for a buffet lunch
Most of this had been cooked before, or brought by visitors, so that wasn't too hard
But it did stretch the long tables capacity....and we did run out of plates and bowls !!

Lots of games (beast of balance was a favourite),  music and puzzles...a lovely Christmas, and hopefully the first of many.



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