10 Things I enjoyed in December

Just like that it’s December and before we know it the year will come to an end. Not sure about you, but I try and cram in as much festive fun and get together as possible and I am sure my body functions on at least 50 percent mulled wine. It is that time of year after all. Here are 10 Things I enjoyed in December.

Christmas at Belvoir Castle and Whatton House

Belvoir Castle always put on a show with their lavish Christmas displays. 

 This year the theme was Cinderella and it was magical. Each of the rooms in the castle were decorated and they were perfect and Christmassy with a Cinderella twist. There were carol singers too which made it a lovely experience. The castle is next to the Engine Yard where you can do some shopping at local boutiques and visit Santa.  Each year they change it which makes it more special – here is the one from last year.  For those who love The Crown, the castle was one of the filming sets.

Whatton House is In Loughborough and this year they had a Yuletide Trail. The team behind Area51 entertainment know how to put on a show. Characters are on point and stay in character throughout. The trail is a mixture of theatrical performances and winter walks with characters like St Nicholas, Krampus and finally Santa. It was a great story and experience. It is all outdoor so be prepared to wrap up warm and wear your wellies. You can warm up with some food and drinks from their stalls. Here is a clip I put together from the trail.

 The Sixes Social Cricket – LEICESTER

Sixes Social Cricket is Leicester City’s newest indoor activity venue. Social cricket is so much fun. Suitable for all from age 4, the venue is located in Cultural Quarter next to The Curve theatre. Prices start at £9.50 and you can either have a group of 2 or 100. They have a bar, they serve food and their service is great. Perfect for parties and a great vibe for socialising. I can see many fun nights and memories happening at this location.

OASIS LOUNGE BY MELAYA – LEICESTER

When i heard there was a swanky bar/cafe on Narborough Road, I did not believe it. I had to see this with my own eyes and I can confirm it is the new spot for me to go to.

Let me introduce you to Oasis Lounge By Melaya. The bar tender has worked in the city therefore expect first class cocktails. Blink and you will miss the lounge. It is near the turning for Braunstone gate.

For Leicester it is a bit pricey but you are getting the quality. Step inside and you feel like you are in another place (not Narborough Road). It is not far to walk from town and I would recommend paying them a visit.

Cocktails are from £10 but you only need 3 cause they are made the perfect way and not watered down. They have a lot of Vegan ones too. Check out this little tiktok video on my recent visit.

In the day they serve swanky hot chocolates (including Hotel Chocolat) and some light bites. Someone said their pancakes were amazing.

Christmas Family fun

For the past 6 years, apart from C19,  we have had a cousins get together and this year was no different. It started with 7 of us and now it is 10. Secret Santa, over indulging and catching up – sometimes nothing beats family get together. I have been brought up in a family where it doesn’t matter how big or small your home is, there is always room for guests.. and to this day we roll with it. Unlike the traditional “pathari” where we had big duvets, blankets and slept on the floor we now have air beds haha.

I love Christmas markets or any themed restaurants with open fires, twinkly lights and mulled wine. It brings all the hygge vibes this time of year and makes for lots of festive fun.

Press Trip to The Hague

This year I had my first international press trip to The Hague which I am grateful for. It was based around Royal Winter, discovering The Hague and seeing the opening of the Royal Christmas Fair. Read all about it here. 

As the market gets saturated with more and more content creators, it’s challenging to grow however I believe everyone has their unique style and something about them that stands out. Pinterest is my favourite platform and it has grown from strength to strength. Check out my page here.

Having a cook along with Chef for Foodies

Chef for Foodies delivers sustainable recipe boxes from various chefs to your door. All you need to do is order then sign on to their interactive cook along session. Their recipes kits are competitive in price too. 

The company are trying to package the ingredients in a more sustainable way and it works. I recently had a cook along with Michelin Chef Rohit Ghai. We made a Chicken Tikka masala with some rice and it was divine. There were some Vegan and Vegetarians on the cook along and they had tofu.

What I love about the experience is you know what goes into your food and you can then recreate the recipes yourself at home. If you need to prepare anything before hand you will get an email confirming this. Instructions are also sent beforehand too for you to read. A food kit is always a great gift idea.

Festive Choux Buns

I have the link to my standard craquelin choux buns at the end of this section. If you want it festive then you are in for a treat with my recent discovery.

For the filling I went with a cheat custard. It works as well as a crème anglaise and is much quicker. The key is to use custard powder and to make add in a bit more powder than you normally would to have a thicker consistency.

How to make the filling

• Make a paste with about 3 tbsps of milk and 3 tbsps of custard powder.
• Heat 150ml of milk until it is just about to boil then take off the heat. Add in your custard powder mix. (I used Birds Eye custard powder)
• Keep whisking until combined then add sugar, cinnamon powder and grated nutmeg to taste.
• Return you pan to the stove and simmer on low to medium heat. You will notice it will start to thicken. Ensure you mix it often to avoid the milk from sticking to the bottom and burning.
• Once it has simmer for a bit and thickened, cool then cover with cling film and stick it in the fridge to set until you are ready to use. To use mix it up then pipe into choux buns.

Craquelin Ingredients

• 32.5 g soft unsalted butter
• 32.5 g light brown sugar 
• 25 g plain flour
• 25 g ground almonds 
• Red and Green Gel food colouring

Method

• Beat the butter and  sugar until smooth
• Add in flour and almonds and beat until starts to form dough
• Split the dough in half (around 57g each), then mix with food gel colouring or food colouring powder. Combine it well and then form a rectangle shape.
• Roll the dough to 2mm between 2 silicone sheets or grease proof paper
• Leave it in between the sheets and place in the freezer for 30 minutes
• Take it out of the freezer, take the top sheet out then cut 4cm discs. 
• Stick them back in the freezer then make the choux buns 

For the choux bun recipe follow the one for my Jubilee baking entry here. It makes 16.

Christmas Cocktails

Over lockdown I started my cocktail series and every so often I decide to reignite my love for sharing cocktails with my lovely audience. Here is a post with all my recent recipes for this festive season. From deluxe chocolate martini to The Grinch- I got you covered. Watch the videos on my Instagram and Pinterest account.

FABULOUS WORLD OF DIOR AT HARRODS – LONDON

London is beautiful all year round. The installations are always so creative and the variety of activities to do each season is enough to fill your diary for a month if not year. I love the Christmas lights they have, especially on New Bond Street however after seeing it so many times on Tiktok I feel like I have seen them in real life. This year we decided to check out The Dior display at Harrods and it was just as magical as I imagined. You can read all about it here. It is a celebration of Dior Savoir-Faire and it has a beautiful story and display – it gets top marks for attention to detail. It looks like it is made of gingerbread but most of it isn’t.

The display is open until the 3rd of January. If you did not manage to get any tickets, worry not because you can queue.

Festive lunch with Wherestherooftop & Londonkirsty – LONDON

My two Instagram born friendships, Fiona and Kirsty had a lovey festive catch up. We met up at Somerset house for dinner and drinks at Chalet Suisse by Jimmy Garcia. Somerset House is magical this time of year with its Ice Rink, Moet & Chandon bar, hot chocolate stand and much more. The food and drinks were great and the set up was cosy – if you cannot make it to a Chalet in some slopes I may as well make the most of this one? The only downfall was the service. Luckily we were not in a hurry and had much patience. 

Neha

Disclaimer: I was invited to some of the places above however all opinions and photos are my own.