Roast gammon, various snacks
It’s nearly time for the big moment, what we’ve been waiting for all year. Soon we will be changing into our night clothes, preparing hot drinks and snacks, and listening impatiently for the sound that mum in particular has been keenly anticipating:
“Now on BBC11: the Christmas special of The Repair Shop.”
Tbf I am also keen on this most easy-going (if occasionally tear-jerking, even for hard-hearted cynics such as myself2) of programmes, but not as keen as mum, who has asked me multiple times today what time it’s on and to make sure she doesn’t miss it. I love my mum immensely, but this dementia thing is seriously hard work. 😕
Anyway, food, from Iceland as usual:
Smoked gammon joint, expertly roasted by yours truly: slightly too salty, a bit tough in places (I think it’s several pieces of gammon stuck together with meat glue rather than a single joint), but with a good flavour overall. Good enough that I had to check it several times to make sure it was keeping its quality, anyway.
Breaded brie: it’s cheese wrapped it breadcrumbs and heated until gooey. Of course they’re good.
Duck spring rolls: crunchy pastry, good hoisin-y filling, I’m not sure how much of the filling was duck but I’m guessing not much. Nice, though.
Jalapeño cream cheese thingies: I’ve had these before and liked them as a version of one of my favourite snacks. The outside breading goes nicely crispy, the cream cheese filling actually tastes of cream cheese, and the jalapeño has a fresh green flavour and a pleasant heat (too hot for mum, unsurprisingly, but I’m impressed she was willing to try).
Dip selection: guacamole is OKish – a bit metallic and not really resembling avocado, but fine. Tomato salsa looks oddly milky, as if someone had spilled some of the sour cream into it; it tasted unpleasantly artificial and sharp, in a way that made everything else on the plate taste weird. The rest is going in the food recycling bin.
Cherry tomatoes: sweet, fresh little balls of deliciousness. They never last long when mum and I are around.
Then the last of the chocolate wreath – mum didn’t like it nearly as much as I did, so I got to eat the majority of it, about which I was absolutely as un-disappointed about as you would imagine. Plus a couple of chocolate caramel digestives, which I can strongly recommend – creamy sweet chocolate and slightly chewy caramel on the best biscuits you can get, imo.
Have a lovely what’s left of Christmas Eve, everyone, and may all your Christmas special tv programmes start on time.
Is it pineapple sponge today? 