Lia's Kitchen

Celebration is the gift

Posted on December 24, 2011 Updated on April 16, 2016

Recipes for Goose and chestnut stuffing, Ham cooked with fennel, cumin and orange root mash and smoked paprika brussel sprouts for a special festive dinner for 10.  

By now many of you will have travelled near or far to be with loved ones. You might be opening the doors of your home to loved guests as I write this. You might even be in full gear for the preparations of your festive dinners. I am one of these fortunate people who because of the geography of my heart I find myself in celebration at regular intervals at my various homes.

The day of ‘our Lia’ or Lia mas[1] my own very special Cardiff celebration this winter at the start of early festive season. It was named so by loved ones when we organised a festive dinner on 10 December-my Christmas is being spent with family in Greece.

As I write this on a Christmas Eve, I can’t help but think that there has been much change this year. The world has growing pains and our transition is reflected in the hearts and minds of many. It’s scary, exciting, disappointing and exhilarating at the same time: the great unknown. Do you feel it?

Companionship, love and friendship help through any transition and to make sense of it all. And to celebrate and be celebrated is the best gift of all.

My early festive dinner was my gift: it filled our bellies with good food and our heart with warmth. I think this is the true meaning of nurturing.

I hope you all have a nurturing and warm Christmas close to those you care about and with no troubles.  Love to you and your loved ones….

Our ‘Lia mas’ festive dinner consisted of roast goose with chestnut stuffing, fennel ham, roast potatoes, cumin and orange root mash, smoked paprika Brussels sprouts and a special ‘drunken’ trifle contributed by a very generous Ms Sarvani who had probably used a whole bottle of limoncello to soak the sponge fingers.

For the recipes and preparation of our festive dinner please follow this link.