FOOD Alternative Festive Feasting
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t this time of year it’s important to take the time to think about how to spend the festive season. You don’t need to follow the crowds, spend a fortune and get caught up in the crazed queuing and bulk buying. There are loads of alternative ideas you can experiment with. Try making delicious gifts like chocolate truffles flavoured with ginger and coated with nuts. Get the kids involved in the crafting and wrapping them up. Set new traditions, slow the pace and try a £5 budget for presents. A thoughtful gift of something special, like Bradfield Brewery’s seasonal Belgium Blue, could be the perfect indulgence for the beer lover in your life. Get advice from one of our excellent beer shops, like Beer Central, Hop Hideout or Turner’s. Plan your cooking to avoid waste and look out for recipes to make the most of leftovers. Check out this month’s recipe for Praline Bread Pudding using stale croissants by Joe’spresso.
If you’re cooking for one, cook your favourite food, even if it’s not traditional. Get the radio on and think about colour and texture to make any dish a bit more indulgent. Start your Christmas Day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs and spinach on toast with a scattering of pomegranate seeds. Get sociable and meet up with friends and family to play board games. The Treehouse Board Game Cafe suggest taking a look at the first chapter of ediblegames. com. You make the games in the kitchen and eating the components is all part of the fun. To inspire you with more festive suggestions and traditions to try out, we’ve got a selection from some of Sheffield’s finest independent traders. Happy Christmas! Ros Ayres nibblypig.co.uk
PRALINE BREAD PUDDING Recipe by Joe’spresso, 404B South Road, S6 3TF joespresso.co.uk This is a really good way of using up leftover croissants, but other buttery pastries will work fine, as well as brioche and white bread. Add a handful of mixed fruit peel or chocolate chips to boost the indulgence factor. 5 stale croissants 190g white sugar 30g egg yolk 120g egg 320ml whole milk 320ml whipping cream 50g almonds and hazelnuts, half ground 50g chocolate (optional) Lightly whisk the sugar with the eggs and egg yolk. Add the milk and cream. Cut the croissants into six pieces and arrange the pieces in rows. Spread some ground nuts in between rows and add the egg, cream and milk mix. Spread the rest of the ground nuts on top, add the
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chocolate if using, and bake at 150-160°C for 40 minutes. Leave to cool before serving.