Another pause …. more thoughts

I know I'm probably stating the obvious but here's a few reminders :

Don't be too ambitious, for example, don't wait until Christmas Eve to try out a new recipe – not good for the “infinity and beyond” stress levels when it goes pear shaped.

Your mantra over the holidays should be those three little words, “keep it simple”.

When you make your holiday shopping list, sit in your kitchen with all your food cupboards to hand – ensuring of course that you have a little reward, in the way of a glass of wine - or chocolate – or both, by your side – they help to concentrate the mind for such tasks – after you've finished of course! If you are sat in another room it's easy to convince yourself “of course I've got sauce to go with the bacon sandwiches” - when in reality there's only fumes at the bottom of both bottles - how wrong can you be and how irritated when its too late!

Remember the motto, “be prepared”. To that end, if you are a devotee of doing your supermarket shopping on line – three more little words, book your slot! Think of it another way – do you really want to do a “Supermarket Sweep” like some crazy person with a trolley piled high with random food that you'll throw away in the New Year. A little over the top may be but think of your overdraft – planning will save your pennies and the pennies become pounds – how twee is that!

Whatever you are serving for Christmas lunch if you intend to order from your butcher pick up an order form and return it completed. If I can I'll collect my order on the 23^rd for two reasons, the first is that it's a tick off my list and second, it'll be mobbed on Christmas Eve – do you really have 30/45 minutes to waste standing in a queue – you'll never get that time back.

If you intend to buy frozen poultry from the supermarket bear in mind you have to allow adequate time to defrost it. Read the instructions – trying to defrost a large turkey in a bath of cold water on Christmas morning is not a good idea.

Break the habits of a lifetime – be radical – create a new tradition of your own for the holidays. Promote one of your nearest and dearest to “chef du petit déjeuner” (breakfast chef – there's nothing like a fancy title) for the day. It doesn't have to be a Michelin star event and I'm not objecting to a little supervision. You may not like the idea of relinquishing the reins – sooooo sorry, couldn't resist - it could be a master stroke and a task that turns into fun, not to mention breakfast.

Mele Kalikimaka!