I have not posted much on this blog for a long time. I have had a busy and rather difficult year. I just wanted to wish all my followers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. So here are a couple of cheerful images of some seasonal dishes I have made recently. The twelfth cake above is currently part of a lovely dining room display at Fairfax House in York called The Keeping of Christmas. It also features in a short video showing me decorating it in a new BBC series called Home Comforts, which airs in the New Year.
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| Photo: Dave Willis |
I have roasted four geese so far since November. This one was for an article I wrote for the Christmas edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine. This is how we roasted potatoes in the eighteenth century, in the radiant heat beneath the rotating goose. The best ever.
Beautiful, as always! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you too Joyce!
Deletebest wishes
Ivan
I'm leaving for London this weekend. Can you recommend any antique shops that specialize in kitchenware. I'd like to find moulds for the sugar paste designs that adorn your 12th Nught Cakes.
DeleteYou will be very lucky indeed to find any wooden gum paste moulds. But you could try Appleby Antiques, who have a stand in the Portobello Road every Saturday - www.applebyantiques.net. You should find the info about their stand on the website.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteDear Mr. Day,
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you and hoping that 2015 is an easier year. Thank you for the photos: the cake is especially magnificent.
Very best,
Natalie in KY, USA
Merry Christmas to you too. I've enjoyed discovering your blog and all that you do, and have added you to my blog roll. Your creations are always sublime. Thank you for posting on what inspires you.
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks delicious! Is anyone going to eat it? 😊 And will you have a chance, perhaps early in the new year, to tell us about how you made it?
ReplyDeleteHave a great festive season!
Thank you for the great Christmas present of new blog(s)! Wishing you all the best - a productive New Year with less stress!
ReplyDeleteThe goose looks wonderful, but why not pluck out the pinfeather ends?
ReplyDeleteBecause they pull out much more easily after roasting, especially when done in front of the fire.
DeleteI just found your blog by looking up Duke of Clarence biscuits. I wondered what they were when they were mentioned in Death at Pemberley. Now I know and have found a wonderful new blog to read. I look forward to reading every post!
ReplyDeleteAs I get older, I find that a bit of arcane knowledge leads to mysterious connections in unexpected ways. I just read this post yesterday and admired the photo of that beautiful Twelfth cake. Then today, I was reading a Jane Auston mystery by Stephanie Barron, where there is a ball on the Twelfth night and your cake was described exactly, down to the pink icing and the molds used to make the white decorations! Happy holidays and thank you for a lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post and for sharing these lovely images...the goose in particular is making my mouth water.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, and I hope 2015 will be a gentler year for you!
Hello Ivan
ReplyDeleteSorry to post so late, but I have just seen you make the Cratchit's Goose stuffing (with beetroot). Can you please email the recipes as I would love to make it this coming Christmas.
Thank you and keep up the great work you do.
Your passion for the culinary arts, especially during the holiday season, was palpable in every word. Reading your article was like unwrapping a delicious Christmas present, complete with the rich aroma of spices and the warmth of festive traditions.
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