12
Christmas
the UK, many other nations have a
very different concept of Christmas
dinner. Try incorporating elements
from different international
cuisines to give guests a taste of
something new while taking them
on a slightly alternative journey
through festive food.
You could take inspiration from
the Swedish ‘julbord’, or ‘Christmas
table’. The centrepiece is usually a
Christmas ham, boiled and glazed
with eggs, breadcrumbs and
mustard that makes for a great
alternative to Turkey.
If you are looking literally to spice
things up, why not try an Asian
inspired menu with turkey and
hoisin glaze, Thai poached salmon
or maybe a spicy tamarind-roasted
vegetable dish.
What’s on the menu in 2018?
Tom Gore, food director at The Brewery, in London
shares his expert views on Christmas food trends in 2018
ith the sun out in all
its glory, it can be
easy to forget that
the festive season
is just around the corner. As it does
every year, the big day will
undoubtedly creep up on us, so
we’ve been thinking about what’s
going to be hitting plates this winter
and what food trends you can
expect to see during the most
wonderful time of the year.
Going green
The rise in vegetarian and vegan
food seems to have finally made its
way to Christmas menus with more
emphasis being put on the veg.
Typically, the Christmas greens
have always played second fiddle to
what was ultimately the star of the
show: the meat. Many of the
traditional vegetable dishes may
seem a little bland when compared
to modern dining so this year, try
spicing things up.
Whether it is Brussels sprouts
with balsamic vinegar and
chestnuts, a sweet cranberry pear
sauce or even maple glazed carrots
with a pinch of smoky paprika to
add an extra zing, think outside the
box and remember, rules are made
to be broken.
Cross cuisine
Although turkey and roast potatoes
may be traditional festive fayre in
Tom Gore,
food director,
The Brewery
www.conference-news.co.uk
Sustainable portions
This one may be hard to hear as we
Brits love to over indulge a little
during the festive period, but with
research estimating around 2m
turkeys and a staggering 74m
mince pies being wasted during the
Christmas season, this is one trend
we can certainly get behind.
This doesn’t mean having to cut
down on all the luxuries that we
associate with the Christmas
period, but more an awareness and
avoidance of wasting food. Make
use of all those potato and parsnip
peels by drizzling a little olive oil
and sea salt over them and
roasting to create rustic snacks for
guests to nibble on before the main
meal. Anything that can’t be eaten
can be composted and for the
green-fingered among you, makes
for great fertiliser.
This Christmas let’s shun tradition
and try something new. Whether
you want to take influence from
global cuisine, cut down on meat or
just feel a little less guilty about all
those leftovers, this is the year to
make a change. Who knows, you
may even like it so much that it
becomes a new tradition all of its
own.