Christmas Dessert Recipes

Reindeer Christmas Cupcakes

Ingredients
• 125g/4½oz butter, softened
• 175g/6oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 200g/7oz self raising flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 100ml/3½fl oz milk
• 100g/3½oz dark 70% cocoa solids chocolate, melted
For the chocolate icing
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 tbsp double cream
To decorate
• giant chocolate buttons
• crisp-coated chocolates (such as Smarties or M&Ms)
• mini pretzels
• black writing icing
• mini marshmallows, sliced

Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs until well combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Fold in the milk, and melted chocolate.
3. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and lightly firm to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and set aside to cool on a cooling rack.
4. For the icing, heat the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over a low heat until the chocolate has melted. Whisk the mixture until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
5. To decorate the cupcakes, spread the icing over the top of the cupcakes. Spoon the remaining icing into an icing bag fitted with a small nozzle.
6. Press a chocolate button onto the cake as a nose, Then stick a crisp-coated chocolate on top using a little icing. Stick on two slices of marshmallows as the eyes, and use the black writing icing for the pupils. Stick on the pretzels as the ears.

Nutella Cheesecake

Ingredients
• 250 grams digestive biscuits
• 75 grams of soft unsalted butter
• 400 grams of Nutella at room temperature
• 100 grams of toasted and chopped hazelnuts
• 500 grams of cream cheese at room temperature
• 60 grams of icing sugar

Preparation method
1. Break the digestives into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.
2. Tip into a 23cm round springform or suitable container and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.
3. Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.
4. Take the springform/container out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining 75g of chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

By Rebecca Knightsbridge

Christmas Around The World

In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of the summer holidays. They
believe that when Santa gets to Australia he gives the reindeer a rest and uses kangaroos! They also believe he changes clothes so he doesn’t get too hot. Most families try to be at home together for Christmas then have BBQs at the beach with their friends on Boxing Day.

In Argentina, preparations begin in November. Houses are decorated with lights and wreaths of green, gold, red & white flowers.

In Finland, people believe that Santa Claus or Father Christmas lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi (or Lapland), Santa doesn't have far to travel on Christmas Eve to deliver presents to people in Finland so often he will deliver presents personally! Animals are given their own Christmas in Finland; farmers hang nuts and pieces of suet on trees in bags from the branches. In the evening, a traditional Christmas dinner is eaten including casseroles with macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato in with some cooked ham or turkey.

In India, Christmas is quite a small festival because only 2.3% of the population are Christian. Instead of having traditional Christmas Trees, a banana or mango tree is decorated. Sometimes people use mango leaves to decorate their homes. Christians often put small oil burning clay lamps on the flat roofs of their homes to show their neighbours that Jesus is the light of the world. Christians in Mumbai often display a nativity scene in their front windows; there's great competition over this! Every household also makes sure that they have a stock of homemade sweets ready for visitors.

In Mexico, Christmas is celebrated from 12th December until 6th January. There are nine houses which are decorated with evergreens, moss and paper lanterns called Posadas (Spanish for inn). Children then perform Posada processions; this celebrates the part of the Christmas story where Mary and Joseph are looking for an inn. Children get their main presents at Epiphany (January 6th); these come from the three kings.

In Egypt, about 15% of the population are Christian and celebrate Christmas. For 40 days before Christmas they take part in something called Kiahk; this involves not eating any meat products except fish. Christmas day itself is celebrated on 7th January as opposed to 25th December like many other countries.

In Zimbabwe, Christmas day starts with a Church service. After the Church service, everyone has a party in their homes and people go from house to house, visiting their family and friends on the way home! At every house they have something to eat and exchange presents. People get their stereo speakers out and put them outside the house and play their favourite music loudly; it’s not just Christmas music that is played, but also the latest pop tunes and old African favourites! The special food eaten at Christmas in Zimbabwe is Chicken with rice. Chicken is a very expensive food in Zimbabwe and is a special treat for Christmas.

In Jamaica people hang new curtains and even paint their houses in readiness for Christmas celebrations. Traditional refreshments for the day are Jamaican red wine and a fruit cake which is soaked in wine and white rum for months beforehand!

In China, only 1% are Christian so only they celebrate. It’s only celebrated in major cities. Most of the world’s plastic Christmas trees are made in China but because the majority of them don’t celebrate Christmas, they often don’t know what they’re for!

Winter's Revenge

Are you ready for Winter? It’s that time of year to get wrapped up in woolly knits, throw on those royal reds and get glamorous with popping gold.

Whether you’re staying in or going out, love Winter or not, it is NOT an excuse to escape fashion and our wardrobes, so get digging! In fact, Winter is personally inviting you to show off those comfy cotton, bead-embellished, super-sized garments. So what are you waiting for?

Winter is personally inviting YOU to show off

Feeling chilly? Don’t freeze with freak. Laser-cut leathers are back to win you over; perfect for a crisp night or day. As the dark nights draw in, make time for those red-wine velvets, super-sized bags and detailed lace which I know you’ve been dying to wear. Perfect for

Christmas and posh parties!

Christmas is just around the corner, and yet again, there is no escape. So if you’re feeling festive, branch out and grab those royal reds represented by Giambatisa Vali or the jumpsuits by Viktor and Rolf with a unique twist of greens, gold and silvers. Luckily, greens, gold, reds and silvers all go well together so whatever you’re wearing, mix and match it up to create the perfect festive outfit.

Red-wine Velvets, Super-sized Bags and Lace; 
PERFECT for Christmas

Get up, get out and get going. If you can’t find anything you like for the price you’re willing to pay, get down to the charity shops and grab as much velvet, leather and lace as you can. So, what are you waiting for?

By Frances McClean

Christmas Creatures

Top 10 Christmas Songs

All I want for Christmas is you- Mariah Carey (1994)
Do they know it’s Christmas?- Band Aid (1984)
Last Christmas- Wham! (1984)
Fairy tale of New York- The Pouges (1987)
Merry Xmas Everybody- Slade (1973)
I wish it could be Christmas everyday– Wizzard (1973)
Wonderful Christmastime- Paul McCartney(1979)
Santa Claus is coming to Town- Joel Whitburn (2004)
White Christmas-Michael Buble (2011)
Sleigh Ride- Spice Girls (1996)

There’s nothing better to set a good Christmas atmosphere, whether you’re frantically late night shopping or relaxing round the fire, than your favourite Christmas tune.

There is such a wide variety of different genres ranging from slow ballads such as ‘Last   Christmas’ to the Irish Folk    classic ‘Fairy tale of New York’ possibly the most depressing  lyrics of a song ever written? One of my  personal favourite Christmas songs Is Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is you’. This upbeat and catchy tune has lyrics that are very relatable for women (including myself) who spend many Christmas occasions alone. This song tells a story of how you don’t care for the ‘presents underneath the Christmas tree’ and traditions such as ‘hanging my stocking there upon the fireplace’ but instead just want to be with someone on Christmas day.  I find these lyrics quite amusing as these are the traditions we all do that don’t  really mean anything, they are very true to life and I’m sure I’m not the only one to really enjoy this song!

One of the all-time classic Christmas songs though has to be Do They Know it’s Christmas? by Band Aid. First recorded in 1984 to raise money for the relief of famine in Ethiopia, this single  became the biggest selling single of the UK singles chart selling an amazing million copies in the first week alone! It stayed at number 1 for 5 weeks making Christmas number 1. The Band Aid group consisted of 44 big chart names; including the likes of Paul McCartney and Phil Collins. In all honesty there’s not really anything that gets me in the  mind-set for Christmas more than a good old Christmas song.

Love them or hate them, there really is no way to avoid hearing them. Those Christmas classics from Wham! The Pouges and Wizzard don’t seem to be getting old! And if anyone says they’re out of date then I beg to differ. From about the middle of November pretty much everywhere you go will be filled with the upbeat and catchy songs that we all know and love. If you’re hunting round the shops for them perfect presents you’ll be sure to hear these tunes, as Christmas music boosts sales... It’s been proven!

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without listening to these 10 songs that we all know and love, and it’s really only acceptable to listen to them from around 2 months of the year. so get  listening to these top 10 cracking tunes! I’m sure they’ll brighten even the worst of days!

By Charlotte Hampshire

The Unconventional Side to Christmas

Toys
4 million Chinese slave workers are employed by the toy manufacturing industry, with 80% of all toys sold worldwide being made here there is a huge pressure on workers to be quick and efficient while earning just pennies an hour. There are three Barbie dolls sold ever second, 80% of these are manufactured by Chinese slaves who work 12 hour days, six days a week for as little as 11 pence an hour. Some investigations have suggested these workers are so desperate for work they give into signing factories contracts which commit them to working illegal overtime. In 2010, 12 people from a factory in Beijing committed suicide after being verbally and physically harassed by their bosses in the slave toy factories. This is not a rare event; this appears to be happening all over the world, from China to Brazil, Africa and the rest of South East Asia.

Christmas dinner
It’s estimated that as a nation we eat 22 million units of poultry on Christmas day alone, including chicken, turkey and goose. These animals spent their short lives in appealing conditions and 10 months after their birth, they’re slaughtered ready to be served up on Christmas day. With more than 10,000 creatures in one barn, they are restricted from moving, socialising and performing natural behaviours. The cages become dirty and disease ridden very quickly. Many are physically abuses and mistreated. Around November they’re stunned, hung up and have their throats slit; many of them still live during the process and taking minutes to die from blood loss, ready to be served on your plate on Christmas day.

The global impact
We produce more CO2 in the build up to Christmas than at any other time of year. A fake Christmas tree may last longer than a real tree but the PVC of which it is made creates CO2 both in the production and incineration of the tree after you’ve finished with it. Studies imply that on average each fake tree generates 16KG of Carbon emissions. Investigations by private recycling companies tell us 60% of fake trees are sent to the dump within a year. Another thing which causes issues is wrapping paper; we used 600,000 tons of gift bags, wrapping paper and containers each year. The excessive amounts of paper and bags results in the deforestation of thousands upon thousands of trees, everything we consume uses resources and produces CO2.

Summary
Of course Christmas time is a time of indulgence and fun however just little changes could have a positive impact on a massive scale for the planet and its inhabitants. Not all of our gifts need to be store brought, we don’t have to buy as many factory made gifts and we do not need to consume as much meat. Creating your own gifts or buying more green and ethical products, swapping meat for alternatives or even having smaller portions and being wiser on what we use to wrap our presents, using recycled paper could have a huge positive effect for everyone.