This is what you want to cook for Christmas

If I can't provide you with writings, then I would spend the whole day in the kitchen. Or with my nose in the cookbooks. I look forward every week to the clattering of my mailbox for the stack of flyers with products to fill my fridge. And I also enjoy the latest Allerhande.

That's why last Thursday (a very dreary one to be precise) was already marked in my agenda: Allerhande Christmas Festival. Not only did I get my favorite magazine in hand, but I also did a rehearsal for my Christmas dinner. As a cherry on top, I also heard the trends for 2017, so I’ll share those with you.

1. Cocktails as a festive kickstart

GINgle bells, GINgle bells, GIN ALL THE WAY. This Christmas, gin takes center stage in our glass. We start the dinner with a cocktail and anything goes on the table; from craft beer to a glass of wine or homemade lemonade. The Christmas cocktail of 2017 is the cranberry mule.

2. Vegetable feast

Vegetables play a leading role on the Christmas menu this year; from side dish to main course. From a whole roasted cauliflower to a steak of red cabbage.

3. From handmade to hand-touched

Ready-made meals make their entrance on the Christmas table. Appie comes with complete menus featuring the ultimate festive favorites, in which sauces, dressings, and marinades are already prepared and you only need to prepare your vegetables, meat, fish, or meat substitute. Because yes, time is money.

4. Meat, showpieces of butcher quality

We live in a time where we only want the best. The meat that is served this Christmas must therefore be of the best quality, preferably including a quality mark or origin name.

5. Shared dining

This year we create our own dishes from starter to main course. No more ‘I don't like that’, but something for everyone, like the ‘make-your-own chicken shrimp or salmon cocktail’ as a starter.

So if you still don't know what to cook on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, I can give you just one tip: go to the store, grab that copy from the shelf, and flip through 199 pages of deliciousness. The cover looks finger-licking good, but the dishes are even better. I mention a Beet Wellington for the vegetarian, a whole turkey from the oven with truffle and Pecorino, hasselback pumpkin with orange, and of course the dish that all of the Netherlands has been waiting a year for… The Christmas model: the Christmas wreath of meringue, lemon yogurt, and fruit, which indeed tastes just as good as it looks.

You understand that I stood armed with my Allerhande at the AH in the evening. You’ll probably do the same tonight, because why wait three more weeks when the holidays can start NOW?