Christmas Pop Up

There are some vital elements to making this that will determine whether you succeed or fail… Firstly, get pork skin that has quite a bit of fat still under the skin, at minimum there needs to be .5cm. It’s the the contrast of the juicy fat under the crispy skin that makes pork crackling perfect.

Although I have no time this year to make my preferred fresh leaf wreath (every minute from this point on is allocated, absolutely every minute) I insist on doing it. So I gathered four sprigs of snow covered branches and another four of little cranberry springs from the $2 shop...

Boozy cherries are a wonderful gift to give as presents for Christmas as they last a very long time, taste beautiful and can easily be incorporated into desserts through the year.

This ham is outstanding with its crunchy, sweet and hot crust protecting the glorious, smokey, juicy meat on the inside. I like to decorate the ham with cute little wooden characters playing on the crust covered slopes of the ham.

Sometimes you just need to have something on the table, especially when you’ve forgotten or have no time to think. This is where this great looking but super easy dessert comes in and saves the day...

Swede or Rutabaga Casserole is just one of four traditional Finnish casseroles served at Christmas time. The other three are carrot, potato and liver, all unique and equally as important as the roast meats.

One of the most traditional of traditions for a Finn is the making of joulutorttu – Finnish prune tarts. These are a labour of love if you choose to make your own jam and dough. The pastry needs to be made the day before and left overnight in the fridge.

These little ice cream cone Christmas trees are very easy to make and the kids will love to help decorate them.

Jamie Oliver’s make ahead Christmas turkey gravy is simply the best! This will be my second year making it and as a gravy lover I have to say that it’s probably one of the best sauces I have tasted...