Traditional Family Christmas is Best

Children really do prefer a traditional family Christmas and spending time with mum and dad to countless expensive presents.


A new study has suggested that what makes children happy at Christmas is being with their family, not receiving sack loads of presents. 

Researchers found that 40 per cent of children would rather Father Christmas brought them time with their parents and immediate family, instead of being given their annual treat of stocking fillers.



A quarter of children are also hoping that they will get festive visits from family members that they rarely see during the year, according to the research by holiday company Butlins.



Board games and quizzes are popular among children, with one in five saying they would be happier if their families played traditional games.



"Seeing mum and dad work hard throughout the year, and not being able to spend as much time with them as they'd like, is prompting kids to think about the bigger picture," according to Mark Hunter, of Butlins.



"Of course they are looking forward to Santa's arrival, but they are also hoping for quality family time - the chance to reconnect and enjoy each other's company," he added.

However, 15 per cent of them worry that this will lead to arguments during family gatherings.

Research was done for Butlins by www.onepoll.com among a sample of 1,000 children aged six to 16 from September 13-26 2011.

Here's culinary adventurer Adam Clark and co-cooking conspirator Adrian Foulkes at the Padstow Christmas Festival demonstrating their panfrying prowess.

If you missed their bravura performance at the festival, here's a little reprise of their recipes.

INGREDIENTS

· 250g of courgette grated

· Salt and black pepper

· 600g minced turkey

· 2 medium free-range eggs

· 1 ½ tsp ground cumin

· 3 tbsp chopped coriander

· 3 tbsp chopped mint

· 2 garlic cloves crushed

· 60g chopped spring onion

· Sunflower oil for frying

DIPPING SAUCE

· 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

· 1½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

· Zest and juice from 1 lime

· 1 tsp soy sauce

· 1 tsp honey

· 10g fresh ginger minced

· 2 tbsp blended sesame and vegetable oil

· 1 spring onion finely sliced

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 180*C.

2. Put the grated courgette in a sieve, mixed with a ¼ teaspoon of salt, and leave to drain for 15 minutes.

3. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands, then put the courgette in a large mixing bowl along with the turkey, eggs, cumin, coriander, mint, garlic, ¾ of the spring onion, a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Mix together well and shape into 12 patties weighing about 80g each.

4. Heat some sunflower oil in a large frying pan and fry the patties for four minutes, turning once, until nice and brown on both sides. Transfer to a baking tray and finish off in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

5. To make the dipping sauce just combine all the ingredients and put into dipping bowls.

6. Mix some of the sweet chilli and sesame oil in a separate bowl and brush this over the turkey cakes as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with dipping sauce.

CRANBERRY, ORANGE & PORT SAUCE

INGREDIENTS FOR TWO 12 OZ JARS

· 225g fresh cranberries

· 4 whole cloves

· 1 whole cinnamon stick

· 1 onion, peeled and finely diced

· 50g fresh ginger, peeled and minced

· 1 clove of garlic, minced

· 100ml red wine vinegar

· 100ml port wine

· 250g unrefined caster sugar

· Juice and zest of one orange

· Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

METHOD

1. Peel and finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and fresh ginger and mix it all together.

2. Place all the ingredients apart from the orange zest into a medium size saucepan and season lightly with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

3. Over a low heat, bring to the simmer, stirring occasionally.

4. Cook the sauce until a thickened drip consistency; this takes about 20 minutes, add the orange zest, remove from the heat and leave to cool. It will thicken as it cools, so don’t let it get too thick.

5. Pour the cranberry sauce into a sterilized jar and seal.

6. Try adding a spoonful of the sauce into a casserole, especially lamb or game.

GLUTEN-FREE SUNFLOWER & YOGHURT SCONES

INGREDIENTS FOR 10 – 12

· 225g Doves gluten free self-raising flour

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 25g sunflower margarine

· 2 tbsp golden caster sugar

· 50g raisins

· 4 tbsp sunflower seeds

· 100ml natural yoghurt

· 1 egg

· About 2 tbsp milk

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200*C.

2. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

3. Sift the baking powder and flour into a large bowl and rub in the sunflower margarine evenly.

4. Stir in the caster sugar, raisins and about half the sunflower seeds, then mix in the yoghurt and egg beaten together, adding just enough milk to make a soft but not sticky dough.

5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 3cm thickness.

6. Cut into 6cm rounds and lift onto prepared baking tray.

7. Brush with milk and sprinkle with the reserved sunflower seeds.

8. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until well-risen and golden brown.

9. Cool on a wire rack. Serve split and spread with Red Stuff jam and Cornish clotted cream.

SAUCE BASE FOR CORNISH FISH STEW

INGREDIENTS

· 1 red gurnard, head removed, gutted & chopped through the bone into chunks

· 1 pinch of saffron

· 1 star anise

· 1 branch of thyme

· 2 cloves garlic – cut in half

· 1 tsp fennel seeds

· 2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

1. Place all this into a container, mix well and leave to marinade over night.

2. The next day roast off this fish mixture until golden brown. Set aside.

3. In a large heavy based saucepan roast together: 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, 2 sticks of sliced celery, 1 small leek, washed and roughly chopped, 1 onion or 2 banana shallots, peeled and diced, 1 bulb of garlic cut in half across the cloves and a branch of thyme

4. When all of this is roasted golden brown, add the fish mixture to it and stir in 1 tbsp of tomato purée and 1 baking potato peeled and coarsely grated. Mix together well.

5. De-glaze the pan with 50ml brandy and 50ml Pernod and allow pan to flame.

6. Then add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes and 750ml of fish stock, or water with fish bouillon cube.

7. Bring this slowly to the boil and simmer for 1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring gently.

8. Remove from heat and allow to cool before blending until smooth in a strong food processor.

9. Pass this through a fine strainer, pressing well to ensure you are left with a beautiful silky fish sauce / soup. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

10. Roast what fish and shellfish of your choice in a large pan, add the sauce base and place a lid on top. Pop this in the oven at 180oC for 8 to 10 minutes.

11. Remove lid. Serve into suitable bowls with saffron dumplings, say, or croutons, chopped parsley and rouille.

COME OVER FOR LUNCH OR DINNER SOON

You don’t have to be an overnight guest at Bedruthan or our sister hotel the Scarlet to enjoy our seriously good food. We are committed to well-sourced, simply cooked seasonal food, and if you tuck into lunch or dinner at either of our hotels you are guaranteed a feast for your eyes as well as your taste buds. Our cliff top restaurants overlook beautiful Mawgan Porth Beach with stunning views of the Atlantic beyond.
So come and experience the Scarlet’s superb menus for £19.50 for three courses. For your special locals lunch offer code, please go to www.scarlethotel.co.uk/localoffer
Bedruthan has an exciting new all day bistro café opening in February 2012 and a seafood restaurant opening in April 2012. Keep an eye on our website at www.bedruthan.com for further details of menus and prices.

To book, please call Bedruthan Steps on 01637 860 555 or the Scarlet on 01637 861 800.

@RedStuffChef @ChefMattBurns @JmEcoChef @BedruthanSteps @theScarletHotel