Good Food Magazine - Christmas 2017

I know is seems early, but the magazine shelves are already full of Christmas editions and the BBC's Good Food publication is available now to get your taste buds working overtime for the festive season. Full of full page photos of Christmas tables, cakes and ideas to stimulate readers to get cooking, there are also some interesting articles and menus, including the 'way-out' and 'whacky'.

 

 

I liked the 'gf Update' - covering Hot Drinks, as there were some new variations on the traditional cheer, such as Nutmeg and Orange Christmas Coffee. The usual snippets like 'What's Trending', 'Have You Tried' and 'Book For Cooks fills the side pages, while chefs Rick Stein, Raymond Blanc and Nadiya Hussain share their secrets for a tip-top Festive Feast. Rick offers a luxurious Mexican Prawn Cocktail for a starter, while Raymond delivers a step-by-step three ingredient duck roast. As for Nadiya, she shares her families traditions, like keeping the kids entertained. As usual, there are all the 'easy menus' for readers who struggle to get the turkey on the table on time, plus some 'twists' for those who want to 'jazz-up' their offerings this Christmas. I like the idea of Juniper and Apple Red Cabbage and the Bacon and Pecan Stuffing. In fact, there are lots of exciting variations on the festive veg, as there are on sauces too. If you are a vegetarian, and you always feel let-down at Christmas, then Good Food has a little section just for you. The photos look amazing, sadly there are only two and only three dishes alongside! Why do we always let down the vegetarians?

There is o doubt that this special edition has 'gone-to-town' on sweets and desserts - pages and pages on everything from Pineapple and Rum Cake to Layered Lime Cheesecake. Victoria Moore offers her usual Food and Wine Matching Guide with a range of tipples from £5.49 to £24.99. With close Swedish friends, I revelled in the pages devoted  to 'Scandi Christmas Eve' - a feature on food to share in the Scandinavian style, such as Oysters With Apple and Horseradish Dressing (below). Likewise if you're planning a party this festive season, then Good Food is a wash with party ideas for feeding a crowd and making the most of having friends around. If you've got kids to entertain then the feature on making your own edible advent calendar is just or you.

As always in this Good Food edition, they share their Christmas Taste Awards. The 2017 winners come in a  wide range of sections rom Meat ad Fish Canapes to Vegetarian Main Courses and everything in between and afterwards in the Christmas eating marathon. If you want to now which products are the best buys and which of the top supermarkets deliver quality then this edition is just for you. As for the rest of the magazine, the useful general pages give tips on mushroom dishes, hangover cures, winter warmers and party picks.

I always head for the Travel section when I get this magazine and this special edition goes to Singapore to 'eat like a local'. There is a feature on Christmas Markets from a food perspective and the chosen UK city of interest is Chester, which has some exciting foodie places. In the 'Opinion' pages, contributors this month give some thought provoking views on our reliance on takeaways (more in a later blog!) and Ronan Keating shares his 'food milestones'. Tony Naylor offers ways of relieving the stress of the festive time with some tips on how to make life easier for yourself at this busy time..

Finally, if you're short of ideas on what to buy the chef or cook in your house that has everything, then Good Food offers lots of ideas from food, to gadgets and to kits. This magazine is well worth the price this month and you get a free 2018 Calendar too!