Its That Holiday Time Again

It’s December, the end of another year, everyone is winding down for the holidays, maybe hoping for a relaxing time. Maybe not… Whether you are celebrating Christmas or not, its a good opportunity to catch up with family and friends. One thing is for sure when we have a cosy inviting home, we like to share it with others. When you choose Perfect Choice it’s our aim to help you achieve a home you’ll be proud to invite family and friends to. It’s what we do best. Holiday Time Treasures So what will you be getting up to? What plans have you made? Winter walks? Games by the fire? Bake off in the kitchen? (see our recipes to get you started) We will explore some of the ideas and activities we can enjoy but first…. We’d like to share one of our customers celebration pictures. Note the t-shirts in the conservatory in winter (snow outside), no of course we weren’t shocked it’s one of our conservatories! holiday time So where would you like to be sitting next year? If you would like to extend your living space in the year to come, have a look at the variety of Conservatories and Orangeries that Perfect Choice can supply. It is an efficient way to make a family friendly home without having to move. It’s also a great space to plan some family fun. So to the Bake Off, The Best Pudding, Cocktail, Chocolate Truffles Mmmm. WE can have a great deal of fun when we create our own entertainment. Getting everyone involved is sure to increase the merriment and make the eyes twinkle. Here are some ideas for doing just that: A super easy Mini Christmas Pud recipe c/o Tesco Recipes Ingredients 410g jar mincemeat 1 orange, finely zested 1 apple, grated 2tbsp treacle 2tbsp brandy 150g (5oz) light muscovado sugar 50g (2oz) suet 2 eggs, beaten 1tsp mixed spice pinch ground cloves 150g (5oz) self-raising flour double cream and orange zest, to serve Method Grease 6 dariole moulds and 6 small squares of tin foil. Add water to a large pan with a steamer attachment and bring to the boil. Spoon the mincemeat into a large bowl and stir in the orange zest, then pour over the juice of half the orange. Stir in the remaining ingredients, making sure you add the self-raising flour last. Combine well. Divide the mixture between the moulds and cover well with the foil, curling it under the rim of each mould. Put the puddings in the steamer, turn the heat down and steam for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. They will keep warm in the steamer for up to 45 minutes (or make them the day before, then reheat in the steamer for 30 minutes). Serve with thick cream and orange zest. If you wish to make it gluten free change the flour accordingly and diary free, check the ingredients carefully and replace double cream With Oatly single cream or their whip-able custard. Non-alcoholic Mulled Wine c/o BBC Good Food Ingredients 500ml pomegranate juice 25g golden caster sugar handful of frozen blackberries 250ml apple juice 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 4 cloves 3 black peppercorns 1 orange, quartered Method Put the pomegranate juice, sugar, blackberries and apple juice in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, peppercorns and orange. Gently heat the wine until simmering then taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly, finally strain into heatproof glasses. Party On! Holiday Time Days Out or In Check out these Events that are going on from 7th Dec 2019 to the 4th January 2020. A few that caught my eye were Taurus Crafts Christmas Market & Festive Activities Winter Owl Evenings Cinderella – A Classic Pantomine In the Forest of Dean at Beechenhurst there is a Winter 5 Mile Run if you’re feeling energetic. But then there’s always the traditional family game of Monopoly or Scrabble so if you prefer to relax in front of the fire – grab a board game and see how long the peace lasts… All in good fun of course! As the year comes to an end, don’t forget to bring Perfect Choice into your plans for a fabulous new year of home comforts.

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