Well, this year there will more than few people feeling like this is an appropriate rhyme and trying to cut back a little. I’m certainly one of them. So how do you cut back on Christmas lunch without seeming like too much of a Scrooge?

Our Christmas day routine is to collect my mother, get my teenage son out of bed (the hardest part of the day!), have a good breakfast, open gifts and go to the pub with a few friends for a couple of pints before lunch. The conversation at these events usually revolves around the stress of cooking the lunch and rushing back to baste their bird and start the other courses. I view Christmas lunch as being like any other weekend meal, and with forethought and pre-preparation it really shouldn’t be any big deal. The restaurant concept of “mise en place” – everything in its place - is the essence of stress free cooking (or reduced stress, at least). Essentially meaning, prepare as much in advance as possible. Then the cooking becomes more of an assembly operation.

I rarely cook turkey. Too much trouble for meat that is rather dry and bland to my taste. This year I am forgoing the delights of a Franklins 3 Bird Roast, or even a whole goose, both of which have been (pricey) Christmas day staples for some years. I’m not forgoing goose completely, however, planning to confit some goose legs a couple of days before Christmas day. So my planned “Scrooge” menu is going to be:

swede & cardamom soup

honey roasted confit goose legs
Brussels sprouts with tomato & basil
Vichy carrots
goose fat roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary
red wine jus

Christmas pudding with custard

Stichelton with digestives and oatmeal biscuits

The soup can be made before hand and reheated.

Potatoes par boiled before going out for a beer. These will take 50 minutes to roast – the longest elapsed time of anything on this menu. Confit goose legs roasted in a high oven with a squeeze of honey for 20 minutes.

I like my Christmas pudding recipe, but even I admit that it is not as good as the Carved Angel pudding which we will be having (a recipe inspired by the Victorian cook Eliza Acton and available from Waitrose). This can be heated in the microwave.

And the cheese. Stichelton is similar to stilton but made with organic unpasteurised milk giving a creamier texture. It has been around for a few years but I have only just discovered it. I got mine from Borough Market. A good way to end the meal

All easy to make and not too heavy on the wallet.

Which is just as well since I will be washing all this down with copious quantities of white and red wine. This year these will include:

Johnson Sauvignon Blanc - New Zealand
Catena Malbec - Argentina
Estapor Venir - Mexico (yes, Mexico - you have to hunt this out - it's an eye opener!)

Merry Christmas!

(Bah! Humbug! …..)