Happy Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Peaceful New Year and Al Hijra/Muharram, and a belated Bodhi Day, Eid-al-Adha and Yule. Whatever is your thing and whoever is your God, if you believe in one, may peace and happiness be with you over the winter holidays.

This is a time of year when those of us who are fortunate enough to be part of a family think about those we are closest to. These days we tend to live our individual lives, often far away from the people who matter most to us. My mum, dad, brother and I all live long distances from each other - in London, North Yorkshire, Hampshire and Barcelona. So these few days of holiday are a very precious time for us to get together, exchange presents and eat together as a family.

That said, if anyone thinks that after a year slaving away in a professional kitchen I'm going to be cooking the Christmas dinner, they've got another think coming. So it's a very good job that dad's been watching the Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Xmas specials and he's been out shopping for the requisite ingredients.

So I'm delighted to say that, unlike the characters in my spoof post last weekend, most people up here in Yorkshire including me will be enjoying the very best of fresh, seasonal food this holiday. This year our meal will be very special, with none of the major ingredients purchased from supermarkets.

Christmas lunch for the carnivores amongst us will be goose, raised on a farm just three or four miles away in Laneshawbridge and freshly slaughtered and prepared for us on Christmas Eve. For mum there's a fresh gilthead bream sourced from sustainable fish stocks by Ramus Seafoods in nearby Ilkley. Other meals during the holidays will include freshly made sausages with cranberry and apple, rolled pork loin with apricots and lamb shoulder all provided by Norman Bell a mile away at Mire Close Farm, ostrich from Weatheroak Farm in North Lancashire, scallops, king prawns and smoked trout, mackerel and salmon all from Ramus Seafoods and, accompanying all of these meats and seafoods, fresh organic fruit and vegetables from Rob McGregor at Low Leases Organic Farm in Leeming Bar 40 miles to the north. All accompanied by the very best herbs and spices from Maria's Cash & Carry in Nelson, North Lancashire. Sourcing all of our food locally means we get the best and freshest produce, we know exactly where it has come from and how it was raised or caught, we do the least damage to the environment in getting it from field to plate and we help support the local rural economy.

Whoever you are and wherever you will be this Christmas, may you have health, happiness and - like me and my family - really great food!