difference between frozen and fresh ingredients and 97% of UK chefs regularly use frozen ingredients on their menus, so your budding Jamie and Nigella will be in good company.
Freshly Frozen Festive Food Festive food is a huge part of the Christmas cel- ebrations, but getting great tasting ingredients, that haven’t travelled thousands of miles, can present a real challenge through the winter months. If you want fresh flavour over Christmas, buying ingredients which have been freshly frozen in peak season, can give you nutrients and great flavour all year.
Getting your five a day
Great vegetables are a must-have with the Christmas turkey. But with national favourites such as peas and broccoli out of season in December, eating by the seasons can become more of a challenge, especially if you’re catering for small children. Many frozen veg- etables actually have a higher nutrient content than their fresh equivalents, which can travel thousands of miles to arrive on your plate in time for Christmas. Love them or hate them, the most traditional vegetable at Christmas is the humble sprout; these too can be bought frozen and are great value. For left over sprouts, why not try making bubble and squeak – a great way to use up your leftovers and cut down on Christmas waste.
Freshly Frozen Fish
A side of salmon is a Christmas favourite for many, with some families even opting for fish on the big day. However, favourites such as British salmon, cod and halibut are out of season in December as wild fish stocks are left to replenish over the winter months. Buying frozen fish allows you to get your fa- vourite dish out of season, and is often better value than fresh options. With new freezing techniques, frozen fish retains all the flavour of fish at its fresh- est and is perfect in a festive fish pie or salmon en croute.
Freshly Frozen Flavour For special Christmas party cooking, fresh herbs are a must in many of our favourite recipes. However, keeping a supply of herbs throughout the winter can be a real challenge and sometimes the dry alterna- tives just won’t do. There is an increasing range of freshly frozen herbs available from the supermarkets and more and more cooks are realising the value and convenience of frozen. Freshly frozen coriander is perfect in Asian dishes and basil really livens up a
pasta sauce. You can use what you need and keep the rest frozen, cutting down on wasted herbs, going slimy at the back of the fridge.
Garlic is another kitchen staple which is out of season at Christmas. Re-creating that sweet taste throughout the winter can be difficult, with wrinkled old cloves from the back of the cupboard with fading flavour. Modern, fast techniques freeze garlic within hours of being picked meaning that frozen garlic retains that sweet tangy taste and can be bought all year round, keeping fresh in the freezer for up to six months. Ready diced garlic options can be time sav- ing too, giving you a helping hand during the hectic festive period.
Festive Fruit
Soft fruit and berries are a real treat, but out of season fruit often travels from further afield and can lack the quality and flavour of in-season favourites. To get your fruity fix at Christmas, frozen berries and strawberries are frozen in season and kept fresh, with all the nutrients locked in, right up until Christmas.
Frozen berries are perfect for making fruit coulis for cheesecake, delicious fruit pies or light fluffy fruit soufflés, or just for a change from the millionth satsuma.
If you’re looking for cranberries for your cranberry sauce, look no further than the frozen food aisle. Fro- zen cranberries give you that sweet festive taste and haven’t travelled the distances that fresh cranberries do in winter. For more information on frozen food, more tips on how to defrost your freezer and appetising recipes please visit
www.theNewIceAge.com
Brussels Sprout Bubble and Squeak
• 1 x packet of frozen mashed potato • left over Christmas Brussels sprouts or 200g of frozen Brussels sprouts
• 1 handful of frozen diced onion • 1 x bunch spring onions
Defrost your mashed potato and the frozen onions. Finely dice the spring onions. Cut your left
over Christmas Brussels sprouts in half (alterna- tively defrost some frozen Brussels sprouts and chop these). Mix the sprouts, onions and mash together. Roll the mix into large patties. Heat some oil in a frying pan and when the oil is very hot place the patties in. Turn after 5-6 minutes until each side is crispy and brown. Serve with fresh salad.
Classic Cranberry Sauce
• 400g frozen cranberries – (Available at most supermarkets)
• 150ml water • 100g sugar • 25g salted butter (cubed)
Defrost cranberries at room temperature on a plate for 3 – 4 hours. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan; bring to the boil over a high heat. Continue to heat for 3 – 4 minutes until the mixture thickens to a clear syrup-like consis- tency and all of the sugar has melted.
Add the butter and cranberries. Bring it back to the boil and keep it over a moderate to high heat. Stir occasionally. Serve.
WWW.MUMSSURVIVALGUIDES.CO.UK 35
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