Every year for the past 10, myself and my wife Sofie have shared the festive season, and every year the same argument comes up, who does Christmas better – Sweden or Ireland?
To give her credit, Sofie’s Swedish Christmas traditions begin long before the big day and at the beginning of December, advent kicks off. A series of four candles are lit on each Sunday before the big day, one each week, resulting in a sloped candlelabra.
This is followed closely by Lucia Dagen, on the 11th of December, when saffron buns are baked and Christmas carols are sung by blonde-haired, blue-eyed children dressed in white, wearing crowns of burning candles – as terrifying as it sounds.
Basically, by the time Christmas rolls around the Swedes have had so much of the festivities that they have to celebrate on Christmas Eve, with Santa Claus hand-delivering presents.
It's quite life changing to be bounced on Jul Tomte's (Santa Claus's) knee, as a 30-year-old full of meatballs, and to put you in the festive spirit, copious amounts of spirits are required and generously supplied.
I will admit, I do love a Swedish Christmas, but Christmas in Ireland, at home, will always have that special place in my heart. An Irish Christmas Eve manages to maintain the anticipation and excitement of presents, crackers and a turkey bigger than a small child.
While we don’t have snow and a real-life Claus to contend with, we do have Christmas movies, selection boxes and one of the finest traditional Christmas dinners in the world.
I have been writing recipes for Christmas dinner for the past eight years and it’s always a battle to convince my family to try something beyond traditional fare.
My mother’s face dropped at the mere suggestions of last year’s brainwave to barbecue the turkey and I was met with a heated discussion about bread sauce and the lack of it on the table three Christmas dinners previously.
However, I always live in hope, and I’ve learned that the best route is small subtle changes that make a big difference. A plum and star anise-glazed Christmas ham and homemade sloe gin cocktails have edged their way in over the years, and my Black Forest brownie trifle is now a regular alongside the Christmas pudding.
The menu on these pages is certainly not traditional, but it is most definitely festive and for the adventurous among you, might just provide the perfect inspiration this Christmas.
