Christmas store cupboard

[Poppycat]

I've done the dried fruit and marzipan bits, cake is in the oven and the house is smelling devine right now I've also made sure I have icing sugar ready as I couldn't get it at all earlier this year

Pretzels, nuts, shortbread tins, sage & onion, gravy, bread sauce mix, Heroes, mincemeat and pickled onions.

I've always started buying bits early as it spreads the cost and means by Christmas week I just need to focus on fresh veg and dairy.

My list splits out into Christmas Dinner stuff, snacky stuff both sweet & savoury, treats and luxuries, booze, and then perpherals like cling film, Greaseproof, napkins etc. Challenge is not to start dipping in early!

Work has always been manic in December, so I've always tried to be ready by end of Nov to take the pressure off and actually enjoy the prep.

[WIGGYSMUM]

Originally Posted by Poppycat

I've done the dried fruit and marzipan bits, cake is in the oven and the house is smelling devine right now I've also made sure I have icing sugar ready as I couldn't get it at all earlier this year

Pretzels, nuts, shortbread tins, sage & onion, gravy, bread sauce mix, Heroes, mincemeat and pickled onions.

I've always started buying bits early as it spreads the cost and means by Christmas week I just need to focus on fresh veg and dairy.

My list splits out into Christmas Dinner stuff, snacky stuff both sweet & savoury, treats and luxuries, booze, and then perpherals like cling film, Greaseproof, napkins etc. Challenge is not to start dipping in early!

Work has always been manic in December, so I've always tried to be ready by end of Nov to take the pressure off and actually enjoy the prep.

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I’m struggling to get royal icing sugar , lots of regular around and fondant but I’ve only ever user royal on my cake

[mandco]

Originally Posted by WIGGYSMUM

I’m struggling to get royal icing sugar , lots of regular around and fondant but I’ve only ever user royal on my cake

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Haven't been able to find any royal icing sugar since may though I did find some tubs of ready mixed royal icing in tesco last month.
You can make your own using regular icing sugar & egg whites(there are recipes using dried egg white if you can't eat raw egg whites)some add liquid glucose too but it is more work

[MariaLynda]

I use meringue powder instead of egg. Luckily shop at end of my road sells cake decorating stuff.

[Poppycat]

Originally Posted by mandco

Haven't been able to find any royal icing sugar since may though I did find some tubs of ready mixed royal icing in tesco last month.
You can make your own using regular icing sugar & egg whites(there are recipes using dried egg white if you can't eat raw egg whites)some add liquid glucose too but it is more work

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I didn't get on with royal icing sugar, always stays too soft so must be doing something wrong. I use a really old Whitworths recipe book inherited from my Grandmother and make it. 8 inch cake - 1lb sieved icing sugar, 2 egg whites, 1tsp lemon juice plus a few optional drops of glycerine. No metric 😀

[linnite]

I got to be my age minus 2 years without ever trying panettone and then a piece nicely buttered was put into my hand in one of our offices, now panettone is a fixture.

Nice long use by date too e.g. June 2021.

[Tinks2014]

I have a Xmas cupboard and fill it gradually ..
biscuits for cheese, home bake rolls , Pringles, hot chocolate and mini marshmallows, after eights , jelly and custard for trifle ,tubs of chocs ( they are in the garage ) box of foxes biscuits , several bags of nuts , cranberry sauce , kettle and sensations crisps, stuffing,2 sorts of gravy, brandy snap baskets which I use as a base for ice cream .Got some mini Xmas puds when they were reduced in January as only me and hubby eat them.. I have started with fridge so have cheese box filling up .. extra butter and squirty cream and will get anything that will be a good date .
Freezer has turkey crown and a few frozen desserts and some party food ..
Would advise anyone this year especially to get what they want as early as they can . Our store now have pickers for home delivery which we didn’t have before so all those orders are creating gaps are and non availability of certain products. I’m really hope they sort the issue out.
A heads up for products that we tend to run out at Christmas are strawberry and raspberry jelly, Swiss roll , birds eye brandy sauce and brandy butter ..

[buryboy]

Sounds like a lot of faff for a day 😀

[WhereIBelong]

Originally Posted by buryboy

Sounds like a lot of faff for a day 😀

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Yep... but... we used to "do" a Christmas week or even a fortnight when dh and I were both civil service with young kids and all parents alive. Now the kids are grown, the parents down to 1 and I work in retail it is pretty much down to a day or two. (I prefer it, dh pines for the rosy days...)

[WIGGYSMUM]

Originally Posted by linnite

I got to be my age minus 2 years without ever trying panettone and then a piece nicely buttered was put into my hand in one of our offices, now panettone is a fixture.

Nice long use by date too e.g. June 2021.

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The panettone (green box) from Aldi is the best I’ve tasted