holiday food

Lots of celebrations this month and we start off with The Peninsula Hotel's 85th Anniversary. An all night party with fabulous food, drink and edible displays.

Black garlic has been making some headlines promoting many health benefits.

We get our hands on some and enjoy the rich balsamic-like flavour it adds to our dishes. Using grass-fed French butter, cream and a mix of fresh shitake and oyster mushrooms, we add the black garlic to our pasta.

For Christmas dinner we get a case of fresh parsnips from the US. We serve them Nigella Lawson's glazed with maple syrup.

Also on the menu is a ginger and apricot glazed ham and New York Magazine's Cauliflower and Gruyere Macaroni Gratin.

Christmas wouldn't be the glutinous holiday it is without all the baked treats. Check out this very moist and delicious recipe for Guiness Gingerbread Cake. And using US sourced dried cranberries, almonds and pecans we make...lots of holiday cookies!

What to do when you get a 11 pound box of cherries?

 The answer is Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cherry Trifle!