Season’s eating
We’ve got Christmas dining all wrapped up
‘Tis the season to be jolly. Even the most diehard Scrooge’s among us have to give up the fight. The shops might have had their decorations up since October, but everyone knows once the calendar reaches the first of December all serious work grinds to a halt as we eat, drink and entertain ourselves silly. And what will the most stylish hosts and hostesses be giving – and receiving – this year? Latest Interiors takes a peek in Santa’s sack.
The Entertainer’ Christmas hamper, £40, www.johnlewis.com
‘Fall’ dinnerware, from £5, and red bauble glass, £4 www.debenhams.com
Seasonal spread
Planning your fine Christmas dining? Assuming you have all the basics (good sized table; ample, comfortable seating… if not, make a mental note to hit the sales), luxury is the keyword for this year’s festive spread. Bring out the fine tablecloth (a table runner in this year’s crimson, purple or black silk would set crisp white off to a tee), the linen napkins, the crystal, and the silver. Light some tall church candles, and add a vase or two of beautiful, pure white flowers. If you’ve followed our advice in the past (unlikely, but possible) then you will be the proud owner of simple white china dinnerware – dress it up with crimson or plum napkins. And crackers, always disappointing if you scrimp, check the contents list and go for quality if you can. Cath Kidston (recently opened in Brighton) have some cheery Christmas crackers; Habitat, John Lewis and Heals can give you luxury. Check out North Laine bouta iques for cheeky one-offs.
12 ‘tree’ crackers, £20, www.johnlewis.com
Gifts for gastronomes
Looking for something to give the chef in your life? The year’s ecotheme has bought slow food back into fashion: food that we spend time preparing from scratch, cooking, or even growing ourselves. Less packaging, less waste, and much more taste. Try a good slow food cookbook, or even (if you’re very flush) a slow cooker – nothing melts in the mouth like slow-cooked pork belly, or a slowcooked (and rib-sticking) vegetable stew with dumplings. Grow-your-own herb, fruit or vegetable kits are another good buy. To keep chef entertained, buy them a retro Roberts DAB radio, in pink, red or even zebra print.
‘Stars’ Roberts Revival DAB radio, £199, www.johnlewis.com
Host(ess) with the most(est)
If you’re hosting a party, though, don’t fuss too much about the food. If there’s time to prepare enough canapés, mince pies and roast chestnuts, great. But if slow food isn’t fast enough, you can still throw the perfect soirée. Having something catered might seem an extravagance, but it can work out to be good value: £3-£5 per head for some serious canapés seems pretty good if you don’t have to stuff the mushrooms (or hit the Christmas supermarket queues) yourself. If a caterer is off-budget, many food stores (M&S and Waitrose among them) happily provide superb, affordable party food (Latest Interiors loves the M&S Christmas food brochure, www.marksandspencer.com – almost as stimulating as their adverts). All you need to do is keep the booze flowing.
Ho ho ho.
