Thomas. Cook

Dear Ruth,


I've now been re-christened, accidentally by my dad, much to my sister's amusement.


And I'm shattered! Who'd have thought cooking could be so exhausting.  Today I had the longest lie in since my student days, my body not just refusing to get up but doing so with a "I've earnt this rest and I'm damn well going to have it' Who am I to argue with myself?


Lets cut to the chase. Your cajoling, tutoring, stern reminders and above all simple but classy recipes meant that Christmas 2011 has gone down in this family as one of the most memorable. I can't thank you enough. I've so much to tell you, but for now here are the stories from Christmas eve and christmas day...


Christmas eve


With a week to go, I was getting seriously worried. I didn't get home from work until 7 on the night before Christmas eve, with a major project to see out the door and a desire to clear the desk before leaving for the year.


Christmas eve, I was a man with a mission. Crack of dawn I was at the grocers for the second time in 2 days, stocking up on onions, potatoes and fruit.


And whilst I was there, some sort of Christmas miracle occured. I'd bought my Christmas tree from them, I'd been there to buy my practice veg too. The tiny shop was packed, not just with other Christmas cooks, but with more amazing produce that you could shake a parsnip at. Bright in colour, rich in scent and above all coming in all shapes and sizes. Hidden amongst it all were herbs, dates, nuts, eggs and passion from the owners. All I could think was ' I want to play with it all '


I took a pit stop at a new tea shop nearby. I love tea. This place is the grandaddy of tea shops if ever I saw one. Lahloo tea - a real passion of the owners. I spent most of the morning in there trying the teas, eating a truly superb bacon sandwich - with marmalade, you must try that combo! I totally lost track of time.


But I regained my focus and headed off to the butchers for the meat. Turkey, beef, smoked streaky bacon and sausages. Heaven.


So, all food in, time to prep. Ah, presents. Yes, man's achilles heel, leaving presents to Christmas eve. Always have done, probably always will. So rather than braise the cabbage I braved the shops, joining the queues of, well other men in the same gravy boat.


By 5pm I was home. All set. Then the parents called. "We're at the hotel, but don't want to leave the presents and food in the car"; "Ok I'll come and pick them up, wait, what do you mean food"? "Well just a few things like the starter (fine, dad was charged with that), pudding (yep, mum was doing that), some things we picked up to help, and Lucy's food." Lucy is the vegetarian. The way my parents, with the best of intentions, talk it's as if she was a rabbit (we mustn't forget to feed the bunny).


On collection of the food, sitting in the boot was a whole ready meal of roast root vegetables just for Lucy. I also found out there were two half empty packets of crisps, strawberries, blueberries, courgettes, onions, peppers, mince and an assortment of other things. My fridge was already full. It turns out my parents were in denial about me cooking for the whole family. They thought I could manage Christmas day but, as my mum put it "don't worry, I'll be helping you with boxing day." Oh will you?


I'm nothing if not stubborn...


Christmas day


So, the stakes had been raised. One slip up and I would have to concede defeat, hand the reins back to the parents. Ruth, I spent most of the morning believing that the true meaning of Christmas only comes from winning the kitchen power struggle.


I was up early (again) and braising the cabbage. I have to say, this dish above all was the one that filled me with most pride. The colour, fragrance and impact of it set the tone for the rest of the day. It was that dish, which instantly made my parents think "oh, maybe he can cook".


And to distract them I had a plan that had been literally kept in storage for months. My dad loves champagne and any family occasion brings a frugally sourced bottle. My friend Kate came up with the idea of raspberry and mint ice cubes on her (brilliant) blog, so I made some from picking the raspberries and mint from the garden in the summer. Now was the time to unleash:

Knowing I wouldn't have long to distract them I kept the food simple, an hour for the beef and potatoes, and just a simple accompaniment of steamed sprouts, the braised cabbage, yorkshires and a green salad would allow me to stay in control. And it all came together in time, on time:

No mishaps, no disasters and tasty food, it was with that, I realised there was a chance I could pull it off.


I'd love to know what you think...


Tomorrow I'll let you know about the main event...boxing day!