Tuesday 6 December 2022

Blogmas Day Six - Advent Calendar, Nut Roasts and a £1 Christmas Dinner


Today's seeds are coriander not something that I like at all; I will do a giveaway at the end of the month for all the seeds that I know I won't want to use.  Today's jam is ... well it's just jam.  

The names of the flavours are all in French and to be honest they are all that tasty anyway that I don't bother to look at the back of the box to see what it is.  I have not even been eating this year's yet as when I was sorting through the food on the shelves, I found a stash of little jams from my last Bonne Maman Advent calendar a couple of years ago in one of my enamel tins, so I have been eating my way through them instead as they are well out of date now.  One thing for sure I won't have to buy any jam or marmalade next year; I do have a lot in stock.

I bought this dried mix nut roast a few weeks back, just before I found the one that I seem to have had in the freezer since last Christmas.  They are very tasty, but as I found out the last time that I had one they are very reminiscent of stuffing mix ... which I absolutely LOVE so it's not really a problem.  But when I have a nut roast dinner I go light on the amount of stuffing I dish up or it's just like having two portions of different flavoured stuffings and not much else.

I'm not that particular which stuffing mixes I go for, when I first got married over forty four years ago it used to always be the brand leader Paxo as that was what we had growing up, but then I discovered that really there's not much in it between the brand leader and all the pretenders to the throne.  I found that I even liked the basic lines from some supermarkets which used to be just 20p ... I wonder how much they are now?


Seemingly not that much more expensive, just 25p if you buy this one from Asda ... you know me, I had to look it up!!


I wonder if it's still possible to have your whole Christmas dinner for just £1, as it was when Miguel Barclay wrote his first book.

The photo of the Christmas dinner was taken from this book. The Christmas dinner recipe is on page 160.  Perhaps I could make something similar as an experiment, obviously minus the chicken, which should help to keep the cost down nicely.


Sue xx



25 comments:

  1. It would be interesting to see if you can do it for £1, Sue.....I bet it will be difficult as prices are rising weekly. I put stuffing mix in my homemade nut roasts, like you I love sage & onion stuffing. xx

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    1. Sage and onion stuffing smells and tastes amazing doesn't it. I really don't eat enough of the stuff ... I must try harder :-)

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    2. I love stuffing but note that some contain dried meat broth and other non vegetarian products. I now take my glasses when I go shopping! June

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    3. Yes, June reading glasses are a real necessity these days when I go shopping too. And just when you get in a routine with the things you can have, and when you think things are safe they go and change the recipe and add in totally unnecessary ingredients.

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  2. That would be a good experiment...

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  3. I usually forget to do something for me at Christmas and end up with just the veggies and stuffing but that suits me . This year I am trying Nigel Slater's individual nut roast that I can make ahead and freeze, we have been watching his Taste of Christmas ,I just love his cookery programmes they relax me and make me feel all warm and comforted. x

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    1. Veggie, stuffing and gravy are a mix made in heaven. His programmes are THE best cookery shows in my opinion, I could watch them over and over. Jamie is a close second.

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  4. I think a pound would be a struggle but one could still do it cheaper than average, for sure. Really looking forward to seeing what you do. xx

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    1. Haha ... I wasn't going to do anything, but the more you all mention it and the more I think about it, the more I do want to give it a try.

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  5. I need to sort a nut roast out this year as my brother in law who will be with us is a vegetarian. A Nigel Slater individual one sounds just the job - thanks for the tip Chrissie
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. If you do, try giving all the turkey eaters a slice of it too, they will be amazed.

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  6. I like your pretty Christmas heading. Those sparkling lights look terrific!

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    1. Antique glassware looks super sparkly at Christmas time when the fairy lights are out doesn't it. The little jug was a present off John Gray when he visited a couple of years ago.

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  7. No coriander or cilantro for me! I like to grow them though, isn't that silly. I am no fan of stuffing either but my husband loves it. I do like your advent calendar, a little adventure every day.

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    1. Not silly at all, I used to grow quite a few things that I didn't actually like eating. The beauty of doing this is that you can let them flower and go to seed, and then the bees and other wildlife at least get some benefit from your sowings.

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  8. The nut roast in the top photo looks tempting. I think it would be a bit tricky trying to serve meat in a £1 Christmas dinner, but veggies are usually on offer really cheaply in the week before Christmas at the big supermarkets aren't they. There's often sprouts, potatoes, parsnips, carrots etc which would keep the cost down a bit. Go on, Sue, take up the challenge! You know you want to!...lol... ;o)

    I love the advent calendar goodies!

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    1. That particular nut roast is very tasty and is equally good in sandwiches or wrapped in pasty the next day after having a couple of slices in a Christmas dinner. As it's a dry mix it keeps for ages in the cupboard too, the best before date on mine is 24/4/2024 ... one of the benefits of being sat right next to the food cupboard while I'm on the computer is that I can check these things without even leaving my seat! Haha.

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  9. I always make my own sage and onion stuffing. It is what my mom made every year and brings back lovely memories.

    God bless.

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    1. Aww, that's lovely, the scent of something can bring back happy memories in an instant. I have to be honest, I have never made my own from scratch, I really should have a go.

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  10. I also make my own stuffing. It is a good way to use up stale bread. I season with sage and onion.

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    1. I really need to have a go at this, it's so simple and yet I have never done it.

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