A Christmas Competition

Although we are a resolutely atheist secular family the winter holidays do offer an excellent chance to express our British socialisation norms and get everyone together to share some time. Trouble is, the standard pastimes of such Xmas gatherings, eating, drinking and slumping in front of the television always leave one feeling vaguely cheated of shared topics of interest and close interaction.

This year a plan was hatched to keep the creative and competitive animals engaged while still feeding the inner beasts.

We decided on a contest. Originally inspired by Masterchef Professional that format was quickly ditched as too complicated to administer and judge, not to mention far too filling with 5 cooks at the pass. So the brief was to produce a small amuse bouche or appetiser, just a mouthful or two for each person to taste and judge.


Tapenade Toast - a really simple tasty morsel that was absolutely on target in my opinion, savoury, crispy and making you hungry for more.

The points were awarded via an anonymous online questionnaire for originality, presentation, deliciousness and christmassyness. That last category did cause some problems as it's a bit intangible and some complained they weren't given enough warning.


Hearts of Almond - a raw savoury marzipan served on tiny crispy crackers and beautifully presented. Recipe available on request.

Everybody tried hard and the standard was extremely high, with just six points between the lowest score and the highest.


Three Types of Tart - Red pepper, Pea and aparagus and a rich Onion Jam on the thinnest of crisp pastry shells. Delicious.

We had to take turns in the kitchen, looking over each other's shoulders and helping out (and making helpful remarks, which isn't quite the same thing) but the gaps between each presentation helped to keep our appetites sharp and our appreciation honed.


Polenta Fusion - Polenta Chips with Japanese seasonings and a seaweed salad garnish.

I was grateful that my Stripey Son and the former Mr. Stripey, neither of whom are vegan, kindly adapted their ideas so that all the offerings in the contest were animal free and could be enjoyed by everyone.


Cold and Hot Fruits - a chilly red fruit sorbet served with a mulled spiced warm tangerine cocktail. A taste sensation.

I'm not going to reveal the winner, see if you can guess.