Christmas: the main event
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As you limber up for the big day, and anticipation mounts for that all-important Christmas lunch, here is a little extra inspiration and guidance to ensure that festive feast is all you want it to be.
You could do worse than conjure up a Victorian Christmas, after all Dickens practically invented what we now think of as Christmas celebratory traditions. From Glazed Goose with Special Stuffing, to this Mock Plum Pudding Ice, your traditional Christmas is more than just turkey.
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Wherever you are in the world, a very Merry Christmas from all of us at ckbk!
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Pictured above: Juleand: Slow Roast Duck from Copenhagen Cult Recipes by Christine Rudolph and Susie Theodorou
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Last minute gifts sorted!
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If you are still searching for the perfect gift for that food-loving friend or family member, why not give them the gift of year-round recipes, articles, newsletters, culinary reference books, and all the foodie goodness you know ckbk to be.
Leave the crowds behind, don't worry about wrapping or postage and simply use the code XMASPLANNING at checkout for 25% off a gift subscription.
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Why give one cookbook when you could give hundreds! A gift subscription includes full ultra-searchable access to hundreds of the world’s greatest cookbooks, and for a limited time you can take advantage of our festive subscription discount offer.
If you have multiple gifts to buy, you can get a whole bundle at the special rate. Just select the number of subscriptions you want when you checkout. Their annual or six-month subscriptions will start when they claim their gift.
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If the shorter days have you longing for sunnier climes, or if you are in the Southern Hemisphere and living that dream right now, and find yourself reaching for food that speaks for warmth, spice and color, we have two books newly added to ckbk for you.
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“When I moved to the UK, I was struck by the fact that despite a large Pakistani diaspora, our cuisine never found its individual voice. My patriotic spirit and passion for the food I grew up cooking and eating sowed the seeds for this book. I hope that the flavour of my heritage comes through in each recipe I share.” Sumayya Usmani
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Pakistani food writer and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani spent her childhood Summers Under the Tamarind Tree. And as her book of ‘recipes and memories from Pakistan’ documents, she has carried its influence, and the particularity of Pakistani cooking, into her life in the UK. Sumayya’s passion and understanding for her cuisine speaks on every page, as she puts it; ‘food is the spirit of Pakistani people and it’s something that has been many thousands of years in the making.’
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Also newly added to ckbk Sri Lanka: The Cookbook, is a love letter to the country the authors call the ‘South Asian paradise of imagination, and so much more.’ Husband and wife team Prakash K Sivanathan and Niranjala M Ellawala hail from Northern Sri Lanka and Southern Sri Lanka respectively. Together they ran the award-winning Sri Lankan restaurant Elephant Walk in north London, and subsequently run cookery classes and supper clubs under the name Coconut Kitchens.
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Their book is a journey into the sights and sounds of their home country, and tells of the differences in culture and cuisines between the north and south. Recipes are approachable, thanks to an extensive introductory glossary of ingredients, and are tempting and informative. This recipe for Payaru Keerai (a mung dal dish) explains the nutty taste achieved by dry roasting the dal ahead of making, and how for Sri Lankans who do not eat meat lentils are a basic and daily source of protein. For those who do, try this aromatic Meat Curry.
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Ingredient focus: tamarind
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The tamarind is an evergreen tree, native to tropical Africa, and has long been established across South East Asia. Tamarind pods contain smalls beans and a sour pulp.
While the leaves are used for flavoring, and the roasted seeds are also eaten, it is this sour pulp, which is pressed into a ‘cake’ when fully ripe, that is used widely in cooking across South East Asia and beyond.
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It is eaten, simply, sugar dusted, in Thailand, made into a syrup and then into soft drinks in Jamaica and South America. Tamarind is prized for its fruity acidity, added into sweet and savory dishes, and is widely used in Indian and across South East Asian cooking.
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6 of the best edible gifts
To give a gift you have made yourself is to give something straight from the heart. Here are some ideas for gifts you can whip up in the kitchen, that is if you can resist munching them all yourself.
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from Celebrate: Plant Based Recipes for Every Occasion by Bettina Campolucci Bordi
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from Guittard Chocolate Cookbook by Amy Guittard
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from Lucy's Food: Minimum Effort, Maximum Impact! by Lucy Cufflin
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from Lucy's Food: Minimum Effort, Maximum Impact! by Lucy Cufflin
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from Home Made Christmas by Yvette van Boven
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from Gary Maclean's Scottish Kitchen: Timeless traditional and contemporary recipes by Gary Maclean
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