Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts

CHRISTMAS CAKE

If you can’t face making your own, then leave the heavy lifting to Fortnum’s. They have cakes that taste every bit as fine as those made at home – and some, dare I say, that taste even better.

CHRISTMAS MUSTARDS, BOXING DAY CHUTNEYS

These are the essential Christmas artillery, no-nonsense troopers that add all manner of pungent, pickled and vinegar-drenched magic to anything they touch. Seriously, imagine York ham without a splodge of sinus-clearing English mustard, or cold turkey minus a neat pile of seasonally spiced chutney. Although they might be seen as unglamorous store-cupboard staples, their role is paramount. The saviour of leftovers, they add vim and vigour, light and life to every part of the Christmas feast: yesterday’s curry, warmed up and anointed with a dollop of hot mango chutney; Chilli Lilli pickle with cold roast potatoes; hot garlic pickle with cold lamb; pickled beetroot and red cabbage chutney with roast duck, green tomato chutney with a brace of fried eggs. And, just like a puppy, they’re not just for Christmas. They continue to delight the whole year round.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Like the mince pie, the beloved Christmas pudding started off with a distinctly savoury appeal. Known in the fifteenth century as plum pottage, the recipe contained chopped beef or mutton, as well as onions, dried fruits, wine, herbs and all those exotic spices brought back from the Middle East. By the Crusaders, some will say. And far from being the merry globe it is now, this pottage had the soft, runny consistency of porridge.

As time passed, and breadcrumbs and eggs were added, so the mixture thickened. And the meat was gradually replaced by suet. It was then wrapped in a cloth, and became the shape we know today.

Fortnum’s has a long pudding tradition, supplying either the ingredients or complete puddings to military clients on overseas service. As ever, a taste of home in the outposts of Empire. But they didn’t actually make and sell their own puddings in store until the First World War. Yet from the very start, the shop filled with muscatel raisins, currants and sultanas, China oranges, lemons and candied peel, fragrant cloves, and dark sugars and treacle from the West Indies. Customers from across the globe placed large orders for the vital exotic ingredients needed to create enough puddings for their families and guests. It’s a tradition that goes on to this day. And you can find a pulchritudinous pudding in store for every single taste. The choice is ever dazzling. Whether you make it yourself, or buy it ready to steam, you can be sure of one thing – no one knows the Christmas pudding quite like Fortnum & Mason.

COFFEE

Since writing the first Fortnum & Mason cook book, I’ve become a coffee bore. Meaning I buy my beans whole, grind them fresh for each cup, then use a Chemex drip coffee maker to produce a cup that fills me with pure caffeinated delight. Fortnum’s has a huge range of both beans and ready-ground, from the delicate, fragrant notes of Jamaican Blue Mountain to the rather more robust (but ever elegant) Guatemalan Santa Clara. I could bang on and on about the idiosyncrasies of each different variety, the beauty of blends, and the niceties of roasts. Before moving on to a deep discussion about the joys of drip brew versus machine. But I’ll spare you the lecture, and offer one last piece of advice – instant may be easy, but it’s certainly no match for the real thing.

DUNDEE CAKE

The classic fruit cake, unadorned, save a topping of fresh almonds, this is no-nonsense teatime tucker. One for the purists, who see a Christmas coating of marzipan as an unnecessary embellishment.

ELVAS PLUMS

A Fortnum’s Christmas classic so beloved it even inspired its own sugarplum fairy. And 200 years back, Fortnum’s would take out an advertisement in The Times, announcing their arrival in store. And still do. They were that popular, and remain so to this day. They’re not actually plums, but rather greengages, grown in the Upper Alentejo region of Portugal. Hand-selected in June, they’re then steeped in vats of sugar cane syrup for two months, before being washed, sun-dried and packed into beautiful wooden boxes. They go really well with port (which makes sense, as they were made popular by the British port-producing families who were once so powerful in the region), as well as with Cognac and Armagnac. Cheese too, both hard and soft. As I said, a true Christmas classic.

FIG CHEESE

Not a cheese, rather a rich and wonderfully fruity addition to the cheeseboard, this is especially good with soft cheese. Though I find it ever versatile, something to bring out previously unknown depths in everything from good Cheddar to Manchego and anything goaty.

FLORENTINES

Cupboard essentials, and one for the stocking, too. In fact, I find these chewy, chocolate-coated, dried-fruit-studded delights near impossible to walk past. They add a touch of Italian glamour to any tea, and magic to a midnight feast.

FOIE GRAS

Certainly a somewhat controversial ingredient, the Fortnum’s version uses livers from outdoor-bred farms in Strasbourg. It’s available tinned, potted, studded with truffles, flavoured with spices and even as a whole lobe, ready to cook. Serve with Champagne or pudding wine.

FONDANT FANCIES

These delectable iced sponges have come a long way since they sat prettily in the window of our local country baker, available in a mere handful of flavours. At Fortnum’s, they come in every variety from Earl Grey tea to marmalade. You can also bake them yourself, and it’s one of those recipes that children adore. But if, like me, your baking abilities are somewhat lacking, there’s no shame in relying on Fortnum’s rather superior skills.

GLACÉ FRUITS

I’m never sure whether to eat these crystallised fruits. Or display them in a case, such is the jewel-like beauty of every one. My favourites are the amber glacé clementines that glow like some rare crystal. The Corsican fruits are cooked, then steeped in a sugar solution for two weeks, creating something that is wonderfully sweet, with a crisp exterior, yet still contains the very soul of the fruit. You can also find glacé pears, figs, plums, apricots, and even chillies. Devour them with a cup of mint tea, or serve them after pudding. Hell, serve them as a course on their own, allowing dinner to stretch on languidly until deep into the early hours.

GRIOTTES

Another sweet delight, this sees Kentish cherries steeped in brandy for a whole three years, then de-stoned by hand, enveloped in the most soft of fondants, and hand-dipped in dark chocolate. So it’s a treat that is literally years in the making. And there’s a limited supply, too, so order early, as they say, to avoid missing out on boozy, chocolate-covered cherry joy.

HAM

Christmas just isn’t the same without a great leg of ham, preferably York, with its dry texture, subtle sweetness and pale pink tinge. The story goes that it got its name thanks to the ham being smoked in the ruins of York Minster, many centuries ago. But, charming as that tale is, it’s also untrue. Traditionally, the ham can be smoked or unsmoked, but either way, it’s a classic, perfect for slicing thickly and serving with fried eggs, chutney or mustard. In fact, I find it very hard to even pass by without hewing off an impromptu snack, at any time of day or night. A true Christmas essential.

HANDMADE ENGLISH AFTER-DINNER MINTS

Always have a few boxes of handmade English mint chocolates – not just the perfect present, but something no house should ever be without at Christmas.

MARMALADE

Fortnum’s probably has one of the widest ranges of marmalade in the world, from the thick-cut, deeply-flavoured charms of Sir Nigel, through to the tangy, medium-cut thrills of Old English Hunt, to the dark, rum-infused punch of Old Navy. In fact, Fortnum’s is so marmalade-mad that it even sponsors the Dalemain Marmalade Awards, where the winner gets a place in the Fortnum’s line-up. In 2018 the winner was Janice Miner’s G&G, which mixes grapefruit with gin to produce a marmalade with a wonderful sweet/sharp balance. But whatever your taste, make sure it’s proper marmalade, rather than some sorry, mass-produced mountebank.

MARRONS GLACÉS

More sugar-coated succour, this time candied chestnuts. Eat them on their own, purée them to make Mont Blanc (not exactly the easiest of puddings, but well worth a try), or simply eat with ice cream.

MINCE PIES

An utter Christmas essential, and available in all manner of sizes. Once made with minced meat and suet, most of the carnivorous ingredients have now gone. But all they need is a few minutes in the oven, and you have wonderfully spiced comfort, encased in crumbly, buttery pastry. A dollop of brandy butter never goes amiss either. At Fortnum’s, as ever, the range is dizzying, covering everything from traditional mince pies to the almond-topped.

NAPOLITAINS

Serious, grown-up chocolate, flavoured, individually, with salt, ginger, peppermint, lemon or orange, and individually wrapped. Blissfully addictive and eternally popular for any time of day or night.

NUTS AND DRIED FRUITS

For as long as I can remember there’s been a packet of dates that come out for Christmas then seem to disappear back into some distant cupboard for the rest of the year. But one taste of Fortnum’s soft, succulent Medjool dates, known as ‘the king of dates’, and you know these won’t hang around for long. Nuts are another essential, from the humble peanut right through to the delicately spiced wonders of their Scheherazade’s almonds.

PANETTONE

An Italian Christmas classic, this sweet Christmas cake (originally from Milan) contains the usual candied citrus peel and raisins, and can be served with sweet wine, amaretto or crema di mascarpone. It keeps well, so can be used as emergency teatime supplies too. For unexpected drop-ins. At Fortnum’s their version is made by the legendary Cipriani, of Harry’s Bar restaurant fame. And it’s used in the recipe for Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding (#litres_trial_promo). Damn good it is too. Eat it warm for breakfast, with a cup of good coffee.

PICKLED WALNUTS

As English as David Niven strolling down Jermyn Street in a three-piece and a bowler hat and whistling ‘Rule Britannia’, pickled walnuts are a soft, sharp delight. Serve with thick slices of ham, or a great chunk of Stilton.

PORK PIES

A proper pork pie is a thing of pure porcine majesty: properly seasoned, peppery pork, surrounded by wobbling pork jelly and clad in a crisp, lard-based pastry. Triple pig, and all the better for it. You could, of course, make your own, but that hand-raised crust can be hard work. I tend to leave it to the experts. And buy a huge pie. The problem is, I find it very hard not to snack on it, slathered with piccalilli, or a great smear of proper English mustard. It’s also a Boxing Day stalwart, although in my house it rarely makes it through Christmas Day.

PORT

This fortified sweet wine makes a perfect end to any dinner, be it Vintage (rich, redolent and deeply complex), chilled Dry White (full-flavoured but fresh), Crusted (matured, then bottled without any fining or filtration, to retain that delectable fruit concentration), or Tawny (served chilled, it’s rich, sweet and silken). So far from being the old club buffer’s tipple, it’s a wine with a version for every occasion.

PRUNEAUX D’AGEN

Ente plums, a rare local variety found only in the South of France (and grown by a small co-operative of farmers), are stuffed with a sweet, succulent prune purée. They’re soft, juicy and, alongside a good cup of coffee, the perfect way to round off a long and languorous dinner.