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Christmas Edition WEIRDFISH.CO.UK
FESTIVE CRAFT IDEAS Get crafty this festive season
GIFT IDEAS From stocking fillers to that special gift
RECIPES
Inspiration for the big day!
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A note from our editor With the biggest, and most festive weekend of the year fast approaching, we have some inspiration not only on what to wear for the occasion, but also how to get creative in the kitchen, have fun, and keep yourselves entertained while enjoying this special time at home. From recipes, crafts, games, gifts ideas, and wardrobe winners. This Weird Fish Christmas magazine is packed full of fun, so hopefully you will find something in the next few pages to inspire you on all fronts whether it is selecting presents, getting creative or finding new things to entertain you and others at home this wonderful Christmas time. Throughout the month we will be adding more festive fun, exciting new lines, fantastic competitions and sparkling offers, so pop back for your festive fix whenever you want! And don’t forget to share any festive food ideas with our shoal. #weirdfishrecipies
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas! John Stockton CEO
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Festive Craft
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Santa’s Sock Shop
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Food Options
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Dress to Impress
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Christmas Cocktails
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Christmas Activities
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Love to Lounge
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Stocking Fillers
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Top 10 Books Suggestions
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Festive Craft If you want to have a go at getting crafty here are some ideas on making your own home-made decorations. Harking back to earlier times when people had to create their own decorations if you wanted to dress your home; it also relevant right now, with people focusing more on sustainable and eco-friendly options, values we are making leaps towards here at Weird Fish.
Table Centre Piece
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It is always nice to have a focal point on your dining table for the main feast; it can be as simple as a large pillar candle on a gold/silver charger plate with chocolate coins or maybe you want to go for a more elaborate centre-piece with flowers (both fresh and fake), candles and greenery. There are lots of examples online to help you with ideas and you can keep the costs down by using greenery from your garden, those pine cones picked up on walks and the odd left-over tree decoration. The options are endless and will give you a very personalised setting.
Christmas Tree decorations Making your own decorations for your tree can be great fun and something that the children can join in with. Often these can be made from odds and ends you have sitting around e.g. corks, material scraps, bits of wool etc. How about some Salt Dough stars/hearts, Cork Christmas figures or fluffy pom poms?
Minimalist/Scandi style tree Not much room in your home for a traditional style tree, then why not go for a minimalist style tree which you can create yourself, takes up little space and is very Scandi! The basis can be any old tree branch or twigs which you can leave au natural or give a quick coat of paint and then it can be dressed with just a few ornaments and string of lights for a very effective look.
For more festive craft inspiration check this out.
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Santa’s Sock Shop Keep those toes toasty this winter with our latest collection of snazzy socks
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1. Elley Printed Crew Neck Sweat 2. Errigal Artist Socks 3. Coming soon 4. Salvio Socks 5. Allory Fluffy Socks 6. Park Fluffy Socks 7. Nuala Socks 8. Parade Socks 9. Park Fluffy Socks
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Food Options Christmas at home has to be celebrated with a good selection of food so here are some suggestions and recipes to try out, some a bit retro and others are alternatives to the usual Christmas suspects.
Speedy Smoked Mackerel Pate Serves 4 Ingredients 240g packet of peppered smoked mackerel fillets (no skin), Juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1tbsp drained capers (optional), 180g Light cream cheese, some fresh parsley or dill, 2 tbsp creamed horseradish Method Whizz together all the ingredients, check for seasoning then place in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with extra chopped herbs and serve with bread of your choice. Told you it was speedy!
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
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Serves 4 Ingredients 1 butternut squash, about 1kg, peeled and deseeded, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, 2 onions, diced, 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced, 2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, 850ml hot vegetable stock, 4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus more to serve Method Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Having cut the squash into large cubes, toss in a large roasting tin with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Roast them in the oven at 180c/Gas 6 until soft and golden. While the squash is cooking, melt the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions, garlic ¾ of the chillies for about 15- 20 mins until the onions are soft. Add the roasted squash, hot stock and crème fraiche to the pan and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Warm through again and season to taste. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of chilli for a ‘hug in a mug’!
Classic Beef Wellington Serves 6 Ingredients 1 oz/25g unsalted butter, 1 yellow onion (peeled and finely chopped), 5 oz/150g chestnut mushrooms (finely chopped), 2 cloves garlic (minced), 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, Salt, Freshly ground black pepper, 3½ oz/100 g smooth liver pâté, 1 lb/500g frozen puff pastry (defrosted overnight in the refrigerator), 1½ lbs/750g beef fillet (tenderloin), 1 egg, lightly beaten (for glazing) Method Heat the oven to 200 C/gas 6. Soften the onion in a large frying pan, add in the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and any liquid has gone. Add in the parsley and seasoning, set it aside to cool. Once it is cooled mix in the pate. Roll your pastry so it is large enough to fully wrap you beef. Spread the pate mixture over the pastry but leaving a border all round, then place your beef on top. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg. Wrap your beef up into a neat parcel and seal the edges then place seam down on a baking sheet. You can decorate with pastry leaves if you want to be fancy and then brush it all over with the egg. Bake in the oven until the pastry is gorgeously gold and puffed. Transfer to a serving board and allow to rest before serving in thick slices and Ta Dah! Or why not try using Salmon?
#weirdfishrecipes
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Chocolate Orange Trifle Serves 8 Ingredients 150ml orange juice, 55ml Orange liqueur, 1 (175g) pack sponge fingers, 300ml double cream, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 100g butter, 2 egg yolks, 125g plain chocolate, melted, 3 tablespoons grated chocolate, 3 tablespoons flaked almonds. Method Mix together the orange juice and liqueur. Dip a third of the sponge fingers in the juice mixture and arrange in the base of a trifle dish or glass bowl. Whisk the cream with the orange zest. Beat butter until light and fluffy then blend in the egg yolks, melted chocolate and half of the whipped cream. Put a layer of the chocolate mix then repeat with dipped sponge and chocolate mix and finish with sponge fingers. Put the remainder of the cream on the top with a sprinkle of grated chocolate and almonds. Let it chill for 2 hours before serving, if you can wait that long!
No-Bake Lemon Tarts
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Serves 3 Ingredients for the crust 75 g shredded coconut, 75 g raw cashews, 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest For the filling 100g raw cashews soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours, 120 ml lemon juice, 75 ml coconut oil, 60 ml canned coconut milk, 75 ml maple syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt Method Using coconut oil grease three 12cm tart pans or one 23cm pan. Combine the coconut and cashews in a food processor to give a crumb. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest and pulse to combine and it sticks together. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of your prepared pan/s. Set aside. Now combine all filling ingredients in your processor until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy. A bit more coconut milk or lemon juice may need to be added. Taste and add more maple syrup or lemon juice as desired, depending on your tastes. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow it to set. It’s ‘Guilt Free’ calories, honest!
Red Lentil and Aubergine Moussaka Serves 4 Ingredients for the filling 100g/3½oz red lentils, 400g/14oz aubergines, sliced into thin rounds, 50ml/2oz vegetable oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 red onion, finely chopped, 1 red pepper, finely chopped, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, 50g/2oz tomato purée, 400g/14oz canned chopped tomatoes, drained, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley For the topping 125g/4½oz ricotta, 125g/4½oz Greek-style yoghurt, 3 free-range eggs, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 50g/2oz freshly grated pecorino or alternative vegetarian hard cheese Method Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and cook the lentils according to packet instructions. For the filling, toss the aubergine slices in the vegetable oil and with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry off the aubergine slices in batches until golden-brown on both sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Now fry the onion, pepper and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the tomato purée and continue to fry for a further 4-5 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cinnamon and simmer for a further 5 minutes before adding in the lentils and aubergines. Place the mixture in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the chopped parsley. For the topping, beat together the ricotta, Greek-style yoghurt, eggs and grated nutmeg until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the topping mixture over the filling and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown and has set and the filling is bubbling. Serve immediately. Opa!! (That’s Greek for Great).
#weirdfishrecipes
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Dress to Impress Crack open the Babycham and nibble on that cheese and pineapple on a stick, party season is here!
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1. Wanda Printed Tencel Jumpsuit 2. Pinto Printed Jersey T-Shirt 3. Hawkesbury Fair Isle Knit Jumper 4. Fine Gauge Crew Neck Jumper 5. Eden Cord Shirt
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1. Coming Soon 2. Carolina Organic Cotton T-Shirt
3. Iona Tencel Midi Skirt 4. Amelia Printed Tencel Dress
5. Ramona Jersey Maxi Dress 6. Hetton Button Down Shirt
7. Starshine Printed Jersey Dress 8. Erso Printed Tencel Trouser
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Christmas Cocktails Of course, Christmas is a time to drink and be merry. So we have scoured the internet for some festive twists on classics.
Marmalade and Mandarin Mojito Serves 1 Ingredients 1 tsp marmalade, 2 tbsp dark rum, Juice of 1 mandarin, plus 1 slice, 1 star anise, ice or chilled tonic water to serve Method Add all the ingredients to a jar, screw on the lid and shake what your Mother gave you. Top up with tonic if needed and enjoy.
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Chai White Russian Serves 2 Ingredients 75 ml chai-tea infused milk, cooled, 50 ml vodka, 25 ml coffee liqueur, Ice Method Pour the coffee liqueur in a glass and fill with ice, then mix the vodka with the chai tea and pour over the top, simples.
Pear and Rose Punch Serves 4 – 6 Ingredients 1 ltr pear juice, 1 vanilla pod, 1 tbsp golden caster sugar, 4 cardamom pods, few slices root ginger, 25ml raw apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp rosewater, 250ml sparkling water, ice Method Pop the pear juice into a large pan. Add the vanilla pod, golden caster sugar, cardamom pods and root ginger, then set it simmering. Leave to cool completely and strain into a jug, or punch bowl if you are feeling fancy. Add the raw apple cider vinegar, rosewater and sparkling water. Then get cheffy and garnish with rosemary sprigs, thyme, sliced red pear and a handful of frozen redcurrants. Add ice and wait for applause.
#weirdfishrecipes
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Activities to enjoy at home over Christmas To help work off the calories from the fab food and cocktails we all love to indulge in, we have thrown in a couple of games you can try your hand at, some quite active, others more for working the brain cells.
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1. Liza Fair Isle Knit Jumper 2. Madison Denim Midi Skirt 3. Una Block Colour Tights
Charades
This game is synonymous with Christmas; I mean who hasn’t played this game post-Christmas lunch? Typically, a player has to act out a book, film, song or film and whoever guesses it first then has to take their turn to act. You can get Charades game sets if you are stuck for ideas, but also a quick search of the internet will also give you suggestions and rules to work by.
Win, Lose, Draw Based on the popular TV show of the 1990s– use a white board or flip chart with a supply of suitable pens. A player from each team has to draw as many words within 60 seconds. Each of the words is a clue to a puzzle – a person, place, thing, event, etc. The team in control has the first chance to answer, if they are unable to give the correct answer, the opposing team can guess to win the points.
Kim’s Game Name derived from Rudyard Kipling’s book “Kim” in which he plays the game as part of his spy training. This game is often now played at parties for young and old and it tests your observation skills. Place 12 to 15 items on a tray, cover it with a cloth. Players are each given a piece of paper and a pen and then you place the tray in front of them, remove the cloth and give them 30 seconds to memorise the items on the tray. After the time is up cover the tray. Players then have 2 minutes to list the items. Naturally the person with the most correct is the winner.
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Stretch those legs You can’t beat a brisk walk outside, and naturally Weird Fish garments mean you will be suitably dressed for getting out there, to improve your mood and wellbeing as well as getting you ready for another round of eating and celebrating. Our new Eco Mac range is the perfect layer for a winter stroll, made with a new sustainable recipe, so now you can look and feel great!
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1. Weylin Full Zip Eco Macaroni 2. Caddis 1/4 Zip Eco Macaroni
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3. Stern 1/4 Zip Eco Macaroni 4. Aria 1/4 Zip Eco Macaroni
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Our signature Macaroni™ Fabric Just Got Greener
Our signature slow spun, cotton rich Macaroni™ fabric just got greener. The new eco recipe is a mix of organic cotton, recycled polyester and natural viscose, It’s all part of our leap towards a more sustainable future.
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Love to Lounge Our new range of super-soft loungewear is designed for work, rest or play
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1. Elley Printed Crew Neck Sweat 2. Quin Jersey Lounge Trouser Set 3. Kilbrin Jersey Lounge Short Set
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1. Tulla Lounge Trouser Set & Eye Mask 2. Bella Lounge Short Set & Eye Mask 3. Clare Dressing Gown 4. Portlaw Dressing Gown
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1. Kinsale Recycled Graphic Hoodie 2. Quin Jersey Lounge Trouser Set 3. Bella Lounge Short Set & Eye Mask
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Stocking Fillers We’ve got a range of festive treats for loved ones this season‌.or just to treat yourself 1. Moy Printed Coaster 2. Adare Printed Keyring 3. Coming soon 4. Pixie Printed Bamboo Multiway Band 5. Shea Lemongrass Hand Cream 6. Corfe Canvas Purse 7. Culla Earl Grey Lip Balm
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Spot the difference!
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Top 10 Books Suggestions For when you want a quiet moment to yourself away from the high activity of Christmas festivities here is a selection of books that are featuring in many of the Top Read lists for 2020. We are sure there is something in here to suit all tastes as it covers fiction and non-fiction from psychological thrillers and thought provoking reads to some light and sometimes comic relief of fictional life.
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1. Shari Festive Fair Isle Knit Jumper
A life on our planet – David Attenborough A chance to understand and find out in more detail about the changes and challenges this passionate naturalist has seen in his many years of observing our planet and everything that lives on it.
The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides This is Michaelides’ first novel and in it he gives us an excellent psychological thriller. It tells the story of a wife who killed her husband and is detained on a psychiatric ward where a doctor is sure he can unlock her silence on what happened. Fantastic twist at the end.
Grown Ups – Marion Keyes The lives of three brothers and their picture-perfect families start to come unravelled when one of the wives suffering from concussion and one too many drinks starts to let slip about some of their not so perfect goings on! As always with Keyes expect some laugh out loud moments but also profound observations.
Making a Psychopath – Dr Mark Freestone Many of us have enjoyed watching ‘Killing Eve’ and Dr Mark Freestone was instrumental in creating the character Villanelle. He has worked on many of the disturbing yet interesting psychopath cases of recent years and so shares with us why some humans follow this path.
Utopia Avenue – David Mitchell The story chronicles the rise of ‘psychedelic-fold-rock’ band formed in 1967 called Utopia Avenue. It references many wellknown rock names of the period and naturally the hedonistic trials and tribulations with the tongue in cheek wit Mitchell lends to all his writing. 33
Trio – William Boyd Set in Brighton in 1968 against the backdrop of world turbulence. The story is told of three people whose lives are intertwined through the making of a film in Brighton and each of them is struggling with their true identities. A funny, wry and also wise read from this legendary writer.
Heroic Animals – Clare Balding The relationships between humans and animals is often tender and loyal and, in this book, Balding also explores the heroic and touching tales of animals that highlight the special bond we have for each other.
Your House Will Pay – Steph Cha An interesting novel that reflects the racial tensions in the USA and the lives of two families – an immigrant Korean family and an African-American one. It looks at the parallels of events in the 1990s and the present day causing them to look at their history back then and their place in modern day America.
Limitless – Tim Peake A fascinating autobiography that charts how a shy boy from Chichester became the first British astronaut to spend time on the International Space Station.
Islands of Mercy – Rose Tremain Set in the mid-19th century and travelling from Bath to Borneo and Dublin to Paris we read about the conflicting lives of a nurse and philanthropist and their search for stability and tranquillity in their lives. 34
CHRiSTMA R S OU
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Wishing you a wonderful Christmas time from all at Weird Fish
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