Last week I was asked to prepare a British Christmas dinner for the Brazilian News channel Jornal Hoje – the biggest news channel in Latin America. I later found out that this clip was seen by over 2 million viewers!
The presenter Cecilia had never heard of parsnips nor had she ever tried a mince pie . . .
You can watch the video here.
Here’s what they said:
As Christmas approaches, London is full of decoration. It’s one of the most celebrated dates in the city. This report discovers what’s different on the English table.
Our cook for the day is food journalist Georgia Bateman. With a list of important ingredients, we visit the shops. The objective today is to prepare a traditional English Christmas dinner for Jornal Hoje.
The first stop is the shop of Sally, one lady who sells fruits and vegetables; without taking off the hat!
Sally sells potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts and parsnips, that, if you don’t know, is a root vegetable cousin of the carrot.
The next destination is the butcher. Harry takes the wrapping off a Christmas turkey that’s almost 6kg and gives tips on how to prepare the bird. With the money left, we spend on decorations.
Later we have many bags; finally it’s everything we need for supper. The final price of this feast: a little over $ 300 (£120).
In the kitchen, the main dish deserves attention before entering the oven. Then it's endless cut, peel, cut, peel. Georgia puts the reporter to work, preparing the bruseel sprouts....
The guests arrive and the kitchen is too small for everyone, but it's Christmas and there is always room for one more.
Dinner begins with Christmas crackers; a weird tradition for the Brazilian friends of the hostess. From inside the packaging out comes paper crowns, small gifts and messages of good luck.
One by one, the dishes come to the table. The meal is plentiful and fills our eyes. The dinner is highly aproved by all. Finally, the cook can enjoy the very best of Christmas, no matter the country, loved ones around a table.
Here’s what I made and the recipes:
