Every year I beg my mum to reconsider the turkey that tends to form the centrepiece of our family Christmas lunch. I’m convinced that no one in my family really likes turkey. It’s a dry and tasteless bird, and the leftovers from Christmas Day tend to linger in the fridge for days, turning up in ever more “creative” recipes for the extras. (My view is that if turkey were that tasty, there wouldn’t be any leftovers.) It’s there purely for ceremony, because it’s a “traditional” Christmas dish, which to me feels pointless and wasteful.
I do take some comfort in the fact that, otherwise, my family dispenses with most of the usual classic Christmas side dishes in favour of our own favourites: my mum’s delicious braised lamb neck recipe is a Christmas Day staple, while jollof rice and other traditional Nigerian dishes usually make an appearance. There isn’t a brussels sprout in sight, the vegetable quotient usually made up of tenderstem broccoli or other tastier greens that don’t require an ounce of bacon fat to make them somewhat palatable. And, as with turkey, I’m convinced that no one truly likes Christmas pudding, so in my family we substitute it for a sticky toffee pudding, and a home-baked cake served with some posh custard.
Christmas Day is a celebration, one of the biggest of the year, so it stands to reason that it should be about eating your favourite foods – foods that actually excite you, perhaps the things that are too extravagant to eat regularly (lobster, in my case), or require a bit more prep.
If you rarely find yourself with the six or so hours required to make a proper slow-cooked beef ragu, what better day than Christmas to fire up the slow cooker and gather around the table with friends and family – or chill together in front of the TV – with a bottle of McGuigan Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon until it’s ready? A vibrant wine with lifted blackcurrant aromas, it has a smooth, rich finish that makes it an ideal festive drop (it even pairs perfectly with classic Christmas fare if you’re going to stick with convention).
It baffles me that the most hyped meal of the year would consist of anything less than your all-time favourite dishes – and drinks to go with them – so this year I urge you to dispense with tradition, and let your tastebuds lead the way.
McGuigan Wines are available in most UK supermarkets. For more information, please go to mcguiganwines.co.uk
