Roasted Rosemary Fillet Of Beef

Christmas Bread

After much planning, sourcing of supplies and preparation, today’s Orthodox Christmas lunch was an enjoyable and bountiful success! I really look forward to enjoying and sharing beautiful home cooked food and relaxed conversation with family and dear friends, especially on a significant occasion like Christmas. 

Whenever I launch into cooking for a special occasion, I feel a fluttering, butterfly-like sensation in my tummy. This is coupled with a momentary sense of self doubt and uncertainty. This flush of nerves may only be fleeting, but it hits me EVERY time. Will the dishes I am preparing be a delicious triumph or an absolute disaster? Will I overcook the meat but undercook the potatoes? Will my meringue mixture flop? Will I use sugar when I should be using salt? Will everything be ready on time or should I expect my guests to find sustenance in the bread basket? It’s completely irrational, because I cook very well. Even when there have been the odd minor kitchen disasters I have found a solution. In the past 15 or so years I have been faced with an oven breaking down in the middle of roasting chickens…forgetting to add a key ingredient and then being creative to save the entire dish…a birthday cake failing to rise and having to resurrect it as a trifle instead…slicing through my finger when I should have been carving the meat…As my husband says, “There is always a solution.” 

Fig, Prosciutto,  Bocconcini & Radicchio Salad

Everyone pitched in with cooking, serving and even the dreaded cleaning up today. My mother-in-law is a dynamo not only with kneading and shaping dough and her sensational chicken broth, but also whizzes through the washing up with the dishcloth in record time! The trick to enjoying a special occasion, rather than being completely stressed and exhausted by the work involved, is to delegate. Involve your family and friends as I did, in preparing certain dishes. Everyone has a “home cooking speciality” so make the most of this. For example, my sister-in-law Lily bakes the most divine Caramel Slice. I have hidden the small amount remaining, in a spot that is difficult to access in my overflow fridge. I have to do this to avoid eating it all in one go. My other sister-in-law Danijela has an eye for arranging food as though its about to be photographed, and made an appealing fruit platter and the finest, sliced cabbage salad. I prepared most of my dishes with baby Maksim gurgling next to me on the wide prep bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if his first word is food related. 

Lily’s Caramel Slice

Linda’s Morello Cherry Slice
My Mother-In-Law’s Chocolate Torte Log


Oh and despite the children groaning that they were “so, so full” by the end of it all, they still asked about dinner later in the evening – it must be that extra stomach that only exists in children! So out came the refrigerated leftovers, ready to fill that “gap”. I would have been happy with a cup of tea and the last little piece of Morello Cherry Oatmeal Slice, courtesy of my dear friend Linda. Unfortunately when I opened fridge it was gone! I must try out her recipe and look forward to sharing it on Cabinet of Cookery. 

My Dessert Meringues

Try not to lick the screen as you scroll through the photos of the dishes we ate today. Everything was delicious, the result of top quality produce and a team of talented home cooks. 

We started with Chicken Soup made from scratch, complete with Hand Made Egg Noodles and Hand Kneaded Christmas Bread. There was a “good luck” coin hidden inside which my youngest daughter Sofia chanced upon this evening. 

Soup was followed by a table laden with: Roasted Rosemary Eye Fillet of Beef; Roasted Fennel and Apple Pork Loin; Duck Fat Baby Potatoes; three salads – Crisp Greek Style, Green Cabbage, and Fig, Prosciutto, Bocconcini and Radicchio. 

Dessert is always popular and there was a choice of Caramel Slice, Morello Cherry Oatmeal Slice, ivory coloured Meringues, Fresh Fruit Platter and Chocolate Cream Cheese Torte. 

Chicken Broth


Duck Fat Baby Potatoes

Fennel & Apple Roasted Pork Loin


Greek Style Salad


Crisp Cabbage Salad
Fresh Fruit Platter


You can now follow what I am…making, mixing, marinating, preparing, planning, sourcing, slicing, sautéing, whisking, decorating, baking and eating on Cabinet of Cookery via…instagram.