Christmas Day in Queensland is generally a hot and steamy affair.  As much as I enjoy the traditional Christmas fayre of roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by steamed Christmas pudding, the thought of standing in a hot kitchen in the heat on Christmas Day does not jingle my bells! A cold spread is a much better way to go at this time of the year. And even better, a meal of which the majority can be prepared the day before, leaving you free to enjoy the fun and festivities of Christmas Day.

My Festive Tropical Trifle is the perfect warm weather Christmas Day dessert. The combination of panettone, coconut custard and mango makes this a really celebratory dish. If making this at other times of the year when pannettone is not so easily available, substitute madeira or sponge cake. You could replace the rum with extra pineapple juice to make it kid-friendly. To make a bigger trifle, just double the ingredients and use a large serving bowl. Enjoy!

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Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for many reasons – parties, summer, gorgeous food, holidays and a great excuse to catch up with friends. If you’re playing host and want to avoid unnecessary stress that is often associated with entertaining, a little forward planning and organisation will leave you free and relaxed to enjoy the fun of the festive season. 

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If the thought of co-ordinating the Christmas meal fills you with dread, don’t despair – you are certainly not alone. Even competent cooks can find Christmas Day a culinary challenge. What to eat, how much to serve, how to organise and manage the different dishes so everything is ready on time – these are just some of the challenges that confront the Christmas Day host.

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Christmas is just over a week away, and thoughts are turning to turkey! As the Christmas meal is usually the only time of the year that most people cook a whole turkey (in Australian anyway), getting it right can be quite a challenge.

Follow our tips to ensure you serve a perfectly cooked, plump and juicy turkey:
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These festive fruit mince pastry stars are a great substitute for mince pies at Christmas time. They take a fraction of the time to make, look prettier and taste just as good. 

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Christmas is fast approaching, and for many that means it’s time to start thinking about cooking a turkey and how to ensure that it looks and tastes fabulous.  The secret to a plump and juicy roast turkey is brining. Brining a whole turkey is a process in which the turkey is submerged in a salt and water solution prior to cooking. Brining increases the moisture content, which is ideal for turkey which has a tendency to dry out. You can also brine a whole chicken, or even chicken pieces. [Read more →]

Christmas is less than 2 months away and there is no better time to start planning than now. A little forward planning and organisation will leave you free and relaxed to enjoy the fun of the festive season, rather than allowing yourself to become unnecessarily stressed.

Firstly, think about the type of Christmas entertaining you plan on doing – it may be a BBQ for 6, a buffet for 20 or a stand-up cocktail party for 50. [Read more →]