The team at Coombe Farm Organic share some ideas for Christmas centerpieces that will blow your festive socks off…
Christmas dinner is the highlight of the holiday season. It’s a time to host loved ones, devour delicious food and flex your culinary muscles. So, it’s only right that at such a special time of year we tuck into some seriously special food. That means food that has been grown, prepared and cooked with care and respect. Dishes that wow your guests and above all taste fantastic. So, why not try your hand at something a little bit different this year and challenge yourself to think outside the box?
For many of us, it’s hard to imagine Christmas dinner without a turkey. But at Coombe Farm Organic, they’re bucking tradition and hot smoking their festive bird. It might sound a little bonkers but this method can yield delicious results. The meat will be lightly smoke tinged and have a wonderful aroma that will make mouths water. Plus, if you have guests around for the festive period, they can get stuck in too!
If you’re in the mood for something hearty and fragrant, have a go at serving Coombe Farm Organics Aromatic Roast Leg of Lamb recipe. This simple but beautiful dish uses a balanced blend of spices to offset the succulent rich-sweet flavour of the meat. Start by frying whole spices – such as fennel, cumin, sweet paprika and coriander seeds – over a medium flame before grinding them into a paste, along with garlic and ginger. Rub the paste into every nook and cranny of a 2.5kg lamb leg and allow the leg to marinade overnight before roasting for 1 hour and 20 mins. The resulting dish will be fall apart tender and a guaranteed hit with your guests.
Alternatively, you can’t go far wrong placing Stuffed Pork Belly at the centre of your Christmas table. The key to this dish is sourcing the right meat from a trusted farm or butcher. You may be more familiar with sliced pork belly, but this dish is making a comeback as a joint. Not only is it easy to prepare and foolproof to cook, but it’s also really affordable. You’ll need 2.5kg organic boned pork belly for this Coombe Farm Organic recipe, along with sausage meat, sage leaves and chopped dried apricots for the stuffing.
Start preparing your pork belly by laying it skin up on a board and scoring the skin. Rub sea salt into the skin and massage well to ensure a crispy crackling during the roasting process. Turn the belly over, sprinkle the other side with seasoning and glaze with warmed honey. Spoon sausage and apricot stuffing onto the pork belly in a line, just in from one of the short edges. Fold the end over the stuffing then roll the whole thing up and secure with string. After roasting for 4 hours, it is crucial you keep your joint warm and let it rest for around 20 mins before serving. You’ll be left with a sensational, succulent joint crowned by a glorious layer of crisp-as-can-be crackling.
READER OFFER! Coombe Farm Organic are offering £5 off every meat box order of £50 received before 15th December, with code LOVER19. Simply enter the code at the checkout. See Coombefarmorganic.co.uk for their full range of Christmas birds, prices and delivery times. Offer valid until 15th December.
Want more tips? For all of the full recipes mentioned here, head to coombefarmorganic.co.uk/recipes. Their expert team are on hand to teach you all of the steps involved in hot smoking a turkey at home or even salt baking a rack of venison.
Alternative recipes: Traditional Christmas turkey, festive beef.