Items acquired for the Christmas Food Stash Updated 12.11.2017 version 2




A further update on some of the bits I have managed to pull together in readiness for Christmas/New year.  Still some bits to get.


Items acquired so far for the Christmas food stash


(Updated12.11.2017)


Pantry Items



8 bags of sultanas


8 bags of raisins

8 bags of currants

6 pots of cherries

6 pots of mixed peel

2 jars redcurrant jelly (Waitrose own)

2 Jars cranberry jelly (Waitrose own)

2 jars mint jelly

Two bags of whole almonds (needed for Dundee Cake and Christmas cake)

Four bags of ground almonds (these I use a lot of so may add some more bags yet)



4 tins of Strawberries

6 tins of Pineapple rings




I should add that the majority of the above items should take me through to the New Year as the bulk of them are for baking and I do not bake fruit items every week.  I would rather make my own cakes than purchase them.



Drinks



1 bottle of Delaneys Irish cream liqueur


1 bottle of port special reserve

1 bottle of green ginger wine.

4 Bottles of Cherry Glogg from M & S (two bottles for £10 rather than £7.50 a bottle)

1 bottle Jamesons Whisky

1 Bottle of Jack Daniels

1 litre of Baileys

1 bottle of Dandelion and Burdock

1 bottle of Ginger beer

2 bottles of perry cider

2 bottles of Tribute

2 bottles Elderflower Presse






Freezer



Boughten items






2 tubs of Quality Street
1 Pack of Chocolate biscuits
2 packs of After Eight Mints
2 packs of Mint Matchsticks
4 nets of Christmas chocolate figures for the Christmas tree


2 different sorts of Christmas balls for the tree

1 pack of chocolate bells

2 pkts Hovis Digestive Biscuits

3 pkts Thorntons Chocolate Brazils (on offer at Waitrose £3 a box)

18pkts Chestnut Puree

2 bags Krisp rolls

1 box large Cars water biscuits

2 boxes Carrs cheese melts

2 pkts Sesame seed Grissini

2 Pkts Jacobs Cream crackers

2 smokey bacon pringles

2 Texas barbecue pringles

2 tubs honey roasted cashews

Creamed Horseradish

Gooseberry fruit cheese

Quince fruit cheese

Damson fruit chesse

Lime curd

Blackcurrant curd

Passionfruit curd

Poachers Pickle

Cheesemakers pickle

1 jar Opies cocktail cherries

Cranberry Port and Orange sauce

2 Pkts Orange and Lemon jelly slices

2 large packets of dates

1lb of Walnuts

1 net of Chestnuts





Items made so far for the Christmas food stash (in no particular order)



Seville Orange Marmalade


Strawberry Jam

Apricot jam

Pickled Onions

Piccallili

Apple Chutney

Apricot Chutney

Plum Chutney

Plum Jam

Plum and Apple Jam

Peach jam

Plum Jelly

Greengage jam

Greengage jelly

Flavoured vodkas: Lemoncello, Mixed fruit, Candy Cane, Peach, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Rhubarb and Strawberry. Spiced Vanilla vodka (for white chocolate cocktail); chilli vodka for home made Bloody Mary; 



Elderberry jelly


Bramble jelly

Rosehip Syrup

Dried Rosehips

Apple Sauce

Bottled Strawberries

Five Spice Peaches

Bottled Peaches

Bottled White Fruit Salad

Bottled Red Fruit Salad

Clementine and Passionfruit Jelly

Mulled Pears

Rumptopf

Cherry Brandy

Bottled Cherries

Mixed fruit - Jumbleberry jam

Nuts in Honey

Mixed Fruits in Honey

Herb Butters:

Tarragon vinegar

Raspberry vinegar

Apricot vinegar

Lemon thyme vinegar

Mixed herb vinegar

Passionfruit vinegar

Vin D’orange

Blushing Strawberry Wine

Peach Wine

Plum Wine

Orange Wine

Elderflower wine

Black Cherry Wine

Strawberry Wine

Geordie Newkie Brown

Spiced Oranges

Spiced Clementines

Vanilla Caster sugar

Vanilla Granulated sugar

Cinnamon Granulated sugar

Harissa

Pickled Jalapenos

Chilli jam

Dried Chillies

Dried Sage

Dried Thyme

Dried Lemon Thyme

Dried Rosemary

Home made Mincemeat

Sloe Gin





I make the different preserves by choice and they are allowed for in my budget through the year. They have to last a year in any event. When I make a load of preserves like the last couple of months I cut back on items on the general shop.   I tend to bulk buy meat and then freeze it myself in any event usually restock in the quieter months.  We don't eat masses of meat and that we do have is eked out where I can get at least two to three meals from it, but generally we eat relatively well in the greater scheme of things.  By saving here and there means I can squeeze in some extravagances. Hence me buying ingredients and then making stuff myself a lot of the time.  Nothing is wasted though.


Will be updated as soon as more is acquired/prepared.


Comments

  1. Good grief Tricia! So far I have a tin of Quality Street, a very large haunch venison (from our local shoot - I give them preserves and apples in return) and some pigeon breasts. We'll get there though . . .

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  2. Hi BB, Its nearly done - but really in all honesty it is not just for Christmas it is to stock up for a few months ahead as well. So for the first couple of months of the year at least I will be able to put the housekeeping up to cover meat for the freezer. (I quite frequently buy and freeze myself the same with the veggies). It is very much swings and roundabouts and really is the main time of the year I stock up apart from offers so that I have a choice as to what I can make at Christmas. I have a few bits to make yet like panforte. chocolate salami, home made chocolate ganache rum balls, pork pies and some pate. Its paying it forward really and dealing with things like this helped immensely when OH was out of work for 4 1/2 years as we always had a meal of somekind or the other at not too much a month and always managed to have a good Christmas. Fortunately like you I have a very good veg shop that is reasonably cheap and you get more for your money. Not everyone has that resource and so you have to make the best of what is available to you and really that is all I am trying to do. I also have extended family with the two children and their partners and the four grandchildren so it soon goes. I did not mean to make anyone feel inadequate or cause offence but my food shopping apart from the fresh veggies and meat is more or less done. What money comes in December's pay packet pays for the Christmas presents/money (although I do buy the odd thing here and there during the year). It is all paid for and nothing is on credit. We do not have that facility credit cards went - when OH was out of work as we just could not manage it We have not bothered replacing the credit card either. We give the adult children money (and not extortionate amounts) as they are younger and their interests are very different so we would rather it went towards something that they would like rather than buying them something that they really did not want as that would be a waste of money. I do the same with my two nephews as well. Hopefully next year will be very different as I. Hopefully my day with my cousin will put me right with the embroidery machine and the patchwork. She also makes things for friends as well so I want to also see how she goes about it. It will then be fabric and embroidery threads that will have to be budgeted for.. I have been asked to make a baby quilt to raise funds for a local charity as well by one of my friends at work. She knows I am a beginner but she is also exceptionally good at patchwork extremely neat and has a good eye so I hope whatever I produce will be up to her standard. My coz is also very good at sewing and we seem to complement each other and sort each other out.

    As I have said I did not mean to "rub it in" or make anyone feel inadequate, it is just this system seems to work for us as a family as a whole and I thought I would share in case it helped anyone else. I know I am lucky, but I do have to be careful as well and quite a bit of planning and window shopping goes on for ideas as well as I cannot always afford to buy some items and often end up making my own as a result. For example I have chestnuts to make marrons glace.I would estimate that there are about 30 chestnuts in the net for £4.50 the only other investment is my time. Waitrose have a very small jar of them for sale at £10 and there is perhaps 8 to 10 chestnuts in there. This system is very much paying it forward but it means to us that we eat very well despite limitations. I also shop around extensively to get as much as I can for my money as although it appears to the contrary at times I tend to be very tight when it comes to getting the best I can for my money overall. Plus I just love messing around in the kitchen (and everything else inbetween as well). Roast Venison for Christmas sounds lovely. We have a Beef and Venison pie to have for tea one night this week as well. I wished I lived in the countryside too. Take care dear friend. PP

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