Declan Maxwell and Denise McBrien
Hospitality stalwarts and best pals Declan Maxwell and Denise McBrien have celebrated Christmas Day together for more than 20 years along with Denise’s sons in her Dublin home. Denise is the manager of The Old Spot and Declan is the manager of Spitalfields. After a long and busy year in customer-facing roles, they are delighted to sit down together for a festive day that’s more akin to a perfect lazy Sunday than the cacophony that can often happen at Christmas.
It all began, they think, in 2000 when Declan wasn’t going home to Clare for Christmas. “I thought, maybe I’ll just check myself into a hotel, and Denise said, ‘Ah you can’t do that – why don’t you come over to me for dinner?’ So I did.”
Over the years they’ve had a few extra family members and even a few extra pals from the industry – but, for Denise, it’s all about keeping things low key.
“With a big family Christmas there might be expectations and the day can’t always live up to them,” she says. “We’re more relaxed. Me and Declan have spent the whole year talking to customers. We don’t mind if we sit in silence. We take it very easy, and my kids are great with that; they understand, from years of us working in the industry.”
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They purposefully avoid the fuss of doing a traditional Christmas dinner, with simple champagne and nibbles to start and then a roast rib of beef for mains, which Denise hopes will be the best version yet this December after she bought Declan a meat thermometer for Christmas 2023: “He’s been sending me photos of his absolutely perfectly cooked everything, so we’re very excited about the roast beef this year.”
Another piece of equipment that’s become a big part of the day is the electric carving knife Denise’s mother gifted Declan one year after she won it at the bingo. “This has gone from being a bit of craic to a tradition,” Declan laughs. “We take a photo each year and send it out to all our friends.”
After dinner, things get very slow. “That’s my favourite part,” says Denise. They change into their stretchy pants and pop a Mont d’Or in the oven, tipping away at the wines they’ve opened in between naps on the couch. The wines are probably the most extravagant part of the day, special bottles they’ve been given by generous customers. And, after pouring everyone else’s wine all year, “that’s our big treat to ourselves on Christmas Day”, says Declan. “Myself and Denise are very lucky.”
Bart Pawlukojć and Nicole Server-Pawlukojć
Bart Pawlukojć and Nicole Server-Pawlukojć are the husband-and-wife duo behind Kilkenny’s Arán Bakery and Bistro. They will work until the last minute on Christmas Eve before a mammoth few days of Polish celebrations.
“Christmas is the busiest time for us,” says Bart. “By the 24th we are like zombies so we are so lucky to go to my sister’s to eat.”
Bart’s sister Paulina is tasked with putting on the big spread called ‘The 12 Dishes’ for Christmas Eve, which is the big day on the Polish Christmas calendar. It’s all about fish and vegetables – something Nicole, who is from the Philippines, has learned to love.
It’s very Polish. We make a lot of everything and we just eat all the time. Nicole can’t look at the same food after two days ... But I love it
— Bart Pawlukojć
“Polish Christmas is a bit different to Filipino Christmas,” she laughs. “It’s fish in every way shape or form. Twelve different dishes. It’s an insane amount of food and you have to have at least a spoon or a serving of everything or it’s seen as rude or bad luck. You have to prepare yourself for it.”
Some of the dishes include Łazanki, a pasta with fermented cabbage, and Zupa z suszu, a dried-fruit soup with macaroni. Bart notes there is always carp, “at least four or five”.
“But carp is a useless fish for Polish people except at Christmas,” he adds. “I can’t explain it but it’s just like that.” His favourite dish in the line-up is his mother’s cabbage-and-mushroom dumplings, made with yeasted dough and then deep-fried.
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In the Philippines, Nicole says the 24th is also the big celebration but quite different from Poland. “They don’t eat any meat and we stuff ourselves with meat.” But, for the most part, she’s happy to lean into her extended family’s Polish traditions: “I let them go at it, I’m just so happy that someone is cooking for me.”
There are also plenty of desserts to be had, which Nicole loves. “Bart’s mom makes all these different Polish cakes with sponge and cream, and different flavours,” she says. “Three for Christmas Eve and three for Christmas Day.”
The feasting continues on Christmas Day when they move on to meats, including a casual four or five roast geese. The abundance of food makes a traditional Irish Christmas feast pale in comparison, but Bart says it’s just what they do.
“It’s very Polish. We make a lot of everything and we just eat all the time. Although, Nicole can’t look at the same food after two days – she’s like, how can you eat the same stuff over and over again? But I love it.”
Dan Kavanagh and Dan Rivera
Living above their tapas bar and restaurant, Table 45, in Dublin 2, husbands Dan Kavanagh and Dan Rivera host a Christmas Day that’s worthy of their restaurant’s South American roots. Dan Rivera hails from Chile where, he says, the festive season is very different from the typical Irish version.
“In Chile, Christmas means it’s time to party. It’s all about summer food, light and fresh. We always barbecue, as you do in South America, and there’s lots of fresh fruit.”
Living in Ireland now, the weather and fresh fruits might not be something he can recreate but the party atmosphere is something he seems to have perfected.
Dan Kavanagh also works as an interior designer and carpenter, and has transformed the rooms above the pub into a beautiful living space, made for entertaining. It feels like an extension of their restaurant downstairs – and even on Christmas Day that’s no different as they open up their home for what they call a “neighbourhood paella feast”.
“We have a nice group of friends over. There will probably be 20 of us and they are mostly our neighbours – from Spain and Ireland, and Chile and Australia. They will all bring something and I will usually cook along with my Spanish neighbour who does paella,” says Dan Rivera, who’s on cooking duty. He also does a ceviche, “with whatever fresh seafood I can find last minute, as every year, in Fallon & Byrne”.
“Then I’ll do a massive pan of gambas al pil pil with extra garlic, but easy on the chilli because Dan (Kavanagh) doesn’t like it too spicy. I’ll add cherry tomatoes instead, sliced, so they look like rocoto (chillies).”
He does have one dish that’s a nod to Irish Christmas in the form of Brussels sprouts: “I do them every year, with olive oil, garlic, fried bacon and toasted pine nuts, with lime squeezed on top.”
After dessert, which is brought by a neighbour, there’s no getting cosy on the sofa – instead, they usually put the space upstairs to better use as a dance floor and often have friends over to DJ. Drinks will flow and dancing can go on into the wee hours, so Stephen’s Day is their chance to be lazy and Dan (Rivera) affirms, “We will usually sleep a lot after that.”
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