SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013

17

It’sChristmas

IT’S party season, and as we begin the long, tipsy, steadily accelerat-ing downhill pinwheel

towards Christmas, I have become aware of conversa-tions of a certain uniform tone and timbre taking place among my friends and colleagues. Ostensibly chummy, the chats have a combative, competitive edge. These people, you see, are comparing notes on soirée survival guides, drunkenness disciplines, canapé regimes. They’re constructing complex algo-rithms involving calories, alcohol units and quantums of potential shame. They’re comparing their respective Rules of Yule and there’s an element of one-upmanship involved.

“I’m only allowing myself two schoolnights out for parties a week,” says one colleague. “Me too, and if I do a third I don’t allow my-self to drink,” offers another. “I’m only drinking if some-

one else is pouring: I’m not opening a bottle myself,” adds a third.

“I’m allowing myself 30 mince pies in the whole of December, and if I eat them all in one go, too bad,” says a fourth, laying a lateral-thinking trump card. Which prompts the second speaker to raise her game and up the stakes: she only ever drinks one glass of mulled wine; she makes sure she only goes out in December with friends who are “in synch” (ie who also want to be at home in bed by 10pm); she tries to “create a varied can-apé meal at parties, rather than standing near the ones with the highest carb con-tent”; and she forces herself to drink three pints of water before bed.

Not everyone’s regime is so strict. One friend re-

ports that her plans for a Just-Say-November dis-solved midmonth in a vat of prosecco. Another, that her plan for a 5:2 sugar diet was ruined by a William Cur-ley Advent calendar. Ho-meopath and entrepreneur Celia Gray apparently just keeps Mondays booze-free in December. (As an aside,

shouldn’t a homeopath be able to survive on a mere pi-pette-droplet of champagne dissolved in water?)

Others are more rigorous. “My Rules of Yule are based

on Miss Piggy’s diet - never eat more than you can lift,” jokes Carmel Allen, the styl-ish and slender brand direc-tor of Heal’s, before going on to detail a stringent regime that involves porridge, ba-nanas, Itsu Special Salmon, and alternating each glass of champagne with mineral water. It also involves her

young daughter Josephine: “The best party controller is childcare.”

One thing unites all those quoted above - even those whose identities have been

protected to lessen their shame when they inevitably fall off the wagon. They’re all women. The Yule Rules of the men I know tend to be different. My sister Rachel’s Danish husband Mads says his Christmas rules are to resist the pressure to buy my nieces and nephew ever-more expensive gifts, in or-der to leave more cash for adult carousing. “No rules at Christmas, that’s my only rule,” says Tom Rollett, who runs sporting collectables company Exclusive Memo-rabilia. “Although from De-cember 1, I listen every day to The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.”

John McNally, screenwrit-er and author of the forth-coming Infi nity Drake series of novels, says his rules are to buy his kids “at least one crap electronic gift each

year, not just books and organic fl apjack” and “not to feel sorry for myself on Christmas morning when I don’t get exactly what I want: I’m 46,” and fi nally “not to covet other people’s New Year’s ski holidays or trips to the Maldives”.

Calorie-counting and unit monitoring don’t get a mention, you’ll notice. For blokes, Christmas is a time for blowouts and booze-ups - that’s the point of it. As the restaurant critic Giles Coren pointed out, Yuletide is the only time of the year you eat roast turkey, mince pies, Christmas pudding, etc: so why on earth would you want to change that? Similarly, when given a li-cence to party, you should embrace it. My own Rule of Yule? It’s Christmas: it doesn’t count.

Start calorie counting the canapés. The only way to survive the party season is to stick to the Christmas laws, says Nick Curtis

The rules

of Yule

A taste of what the festivities have to off er

‘My Rules of Yule are based on Miss Piggy’s diet - never eat more than you

can lift’

December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

18

BUYING a set of the gifts named in the classic holiday carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ will cost a true love $27,393 this year, up 7.7 per cent from the 2012 price tag, according to an annual tongue-in-cheek analysis released this week.

Prices for most of the items in the song, including the partridge, two turtle doves, three French hens and fi ve gold rings, remained steady from last year.

But the cost for 10 lords-a-leaping jumped 10 per cent to $5,243 and nine ladies dancing increased by 20 per cent to $7,553, PNC Wealth Management’s Christmas Price In-dex showed.

The company said its sources for calculating the cost of the items include retailers, the National Avi-ary in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia Dance Company and the Pennsyl-vania Ballet.

“We were surprised to see such a large increase from a year ago, given the overall benign infl ation rate in the United States,” said Jim Dunigan, man-

aging executive for investments of PNC Wealth Management. “But the dancers in the index took a huge leap this year to play catch

up from paltry increases the previous few years.”

The US government’s Consumer Price Index increased only 1 per cent for the 12 months through September.

Year-over-year increases since the Christmas Price Index began

in 1984 have averaged 2.9 per cent, the same number as the US infl ation index.

The only bit of savings on the carol’s gift list this year comes from a 3.2 per cent drop in price for the par-tridge’s pear tree, which costs $184, the company said.

The overall price increase is the larg-est since 2010, when the index rose 9.2 per cent.

Cyber Monday sav-ings may save Christmas days but not money, PNC Wealth Management said. Buying one set of the gifts online would cost almost $39,763, or $12,300 more than making the purchases in person.

True loves intent on a real splurge will pay $114,651 in stores for the 364-gift tally that amasses from the traditional singing repetition of all the carol’s verses, the analy-sis showed.

Cost of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ gifts leaps in 2013

It’sChristmas

Soar On Raw: A delicious journey through world mythology

IF YOU are a chocolate lov-er, Joulietta’s handcrafted chocolate shop in Paphos is a must visit.

Joulietta attended the Barry Callebaut Chocolate Acade-my in Belgium and graduated with honours. She has now used her expertise to create a divine range of handcrafted luxury chocolates with the fl avours of Cyprus.

Her signature chocolate is the Cypriot Double Delight. Available in Bergamot and Rose, this creation com-bines Cypriot Delight with a smooth, ganache base en-cased in crisp choco-late to give you a unique and lavish taste experience.

The Garden of Cyprus range has to be tasted to be believed.

It includes Wild Thyme and Honey, Basil and Orange, Co-riander and Lemon, Mint and Honey, Lavender and Honey, and Rose. These traditional herbs are subtly blended with high quality origin chocolate and look as amazing as they taste.

The chocolates are preserva-tive free and use local, natural ingredients. No-added sugar chocolates are also avail-

able for those with specifi c health re-quirements, a l t h o u g h

you wouldn’t know from the taste.

These chocolates are beau-tifully wrapped and make a perfect, luxury gift suitable for any occasion. Why not pamper yourself? Box sizes include 6, 8, 12, or 16 truffl es, and a luxury assortment in 200g, 300g and 500g boxes.

Come and see the choco-lates being made at Jouliet-ta’s Handcrafted Chocolate and Patisserie shop located between the new Lidl and Time Out Kiosk. (Visit www.joulietta.com to check the map) Enjoy a fi lter coffee with a selection of chocolates or a delicious patisserie.

uble Delight. rgamot andation com-

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Call Joulietta on 99 316525, visit her web site at www.joulietta.com or like her on Facebook: jouliettachocolatier

THIS BEAUTIFUL book will be adored by lov-ers of tasty, healthy recipes and is a delicious gift for the festive season.

With 100 fresh, vegetarian recipes - from salads, smoothies and juices, to main meals, breads, biscuits and desserts - this book is a must for anyone seeking to enjoy their food and still lose weight whilst gaining energy, mental alertness and a host of other health benefi ts. Soar On Raw

also offers a weekly menu plan, shopping list and buffet ideas, including children’s parties.

The other wow factor about the book is that each recipe has been inspired by a god or god-dess from World Mythology so there’s a little story accompanying each creation alongside the nutritional benefi ts. The book has already en-joyed success and since its release in July 2013, it has featured in newspapers, magazines and very soon on Cypriot television.

Whether for yourself or for loved one, invite Zeus’ Cabbagecopia, Pachamama’s Pure Pizza and Aphrodite’s Sexy Tidings into your life and discover the divine you!

Soar On Raw can be bought from its offi cial site www.soaronraw.com and, throughout the festive season, with every purchase of the book, customers are gifted with two handmade Christmas raw chocolate truffl es. The site also provides a list of stockists.

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SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013

19

It’sChristmas

It’s Christmas

20

SINCE 1976 Snack sau-sages and meat prod-ucts have enriched the tasty choices for

families with savoury and al-ways quality temptations.

Snack meat products are famous for their delicious taste, but also for the high

standards of quality and hy-giene. At all production stag-es, from the selection of the purest ingredients, process-ing, packing to delivery, in-ternational certifi ed quality management systems (ISO 9001) and hygiene and secu-rity of food (HACCP) are im-

plemented.The primary aim of Snack

meat products was and re-mains the satisfaction of all the different needs of their customers. Thus, the list of products includes a large number of different kinds, such as the traditional Cy-

prus products lountza, hi-romeri, Cyprus sausages, products for sandwiches such as ham, turkey fi llet, bacon, mortadella and vari-ous other specialised prod-ucts such as Italian coppa, black forest, pastrami, honey ham and many others.

In recent years, the compa-ny has invested in machines of the latest technology to meet its continuously in-creasing needs in produc-tion, but also to secure a higher quality level in its products. Furthermore, the daily control of the manufac-tured products by the Qual-ity Control Department and the continuous training of the staff, guarantee that only the best products end up in your plates!

In 2010, Snackfood made a signifi cant step in upgrading its premises with the con-struction of a new building on Pangratiou street in Stro-volos industrial area.

The new, modern building

is built with high standards of functionality, safety and hygiene. A few months later the company opens its fi rst delicatessen, called Snack Deli. Snack Deli is a high standard delicatessen, cre-ated exclusively to offer only the best quality deli prod-ucts.

In a modern and stylish en-vironment, one can choose from a wide variety of freshly cut products or from a selec-tion of packaged goods as well. There is also the pos-sibility to order unique plat-ters of cold cuts and cheeses when having guests at home or during busi-ness meetings at the offi ce. Snack Deli also offers fresh sandwiches and salads during lunch time.

In 2011, fol-lowing the ten-dencies of con-temporary diet that suggests

reducing daily salt intake by adults, many Snack meat products had their salt con-tent reduced by 10 per cent. This became possible with the new pioneering technol-ogy Fresher Under Pressure, that allows SNACK products

to retain their freshness for a longer period of time, with-out losing any of their won-derful taste!

The new line of Snack pre-packed or deli meat products with 10 per cent less salt is the best choice for everyone following a balanced diet. Enjoy them fresh and deli-cious, from the moment you open the package to the very last slice!

atasteofChristmas

A few months later the company

opens its first delicatessen,

called Snack Deli. Snack Deli is a high standard delicatessen,

created exclusively to offer only the best quality deli

products

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Snack products can be found in supermarkets, all over Cyprus

December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

It’sChristmas

SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013

21

THE fi rst indoor Flea Market of Nicosia is now a fact. The Flea Market of Nicosia is a place to buy, sell or exchange new and used goods. It is located in the SOPAZ area, opposite the Industrial zone of Nicosia and is open every weekend between 10am and 7pm. No en-trance fee is required, with spacious parking, kids playground with bouncy castles, besides a cosy cafeteria, where everyone can take a break from the “treasure hunting”.

The fi nancial crisis is forcing us to change our habits and look for bargains! Anyone, consumers, traders and bargain hunters are looking for opportunities of buying or selling products at affordable and attractive prices.

There are over 50 exhibitors with a wide vari-ety of products such as antiques, collectibles, electronics, appliances, household items, toys, books, furniture, clothes, shoes and many oth-er accessories or gadgets at the Flea Market of Nicosia.

Exhibitors/traders may be anyone who wish-es to sell goods. The exhibitor/trader can rent his/her own booth (space) for a single day or for a weekend or for a longer period. Any mer-

chandiser/importer who has old stock in the warehouse or other citizens who are in posses-sion of objects, appliances and other items in good condition which are no longer required have the opportunity to dispose of their goods at the Flea Market of Nicosia.

Even those who have the talent and the abil-ity to make handmade jewellery, ornaments, bags, dolls, candles, sweets and other unique creations now they have the chance to sell them by setting up their own “shop” within the spacious Flea Market of Nicosia, at very low rent cost. Arts and crafts are welcome.

Bargains of all sorts

wine storage cabinets

la Maison du VinLimassol: Ayiou Athanasiou 49, Linopetra, 25736220

Nicosia: 37 Kennedy Ave., 22442235

www.LaMaisonDuVin.com.cy

chocolates

2014 Gift catalogueNOW AVAILABLE

For more details, Tel: 99 678569, 22 432478, fl eamarket@sazeides.com.cy Location address: 2, Yiannis Koromias in Kaimakli. You can also fi nd us on Facebook.

December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

22

enjoy ourchristmas creations

Sarah Lyne Cake Shop, established since 1982. You can count on us! All your Christmas needs found under one roof: traditional English moist and boozy Christmas cake, mouth-watering mince pies, sweet and savoury cocktail nibbles, Christmas tree pies, mini savoury quiches and other delectable treats. Make sure you place your order well in advance.

We pride ourselves on unparalleled product quality.

Sarah Lyne Cake Shop, 29C Arch. Kyprianou, Nicosia. Tel. 22514550

GINA’S PLACE Deli-Café, the well-established food em-porium is offering an array of fresh artisan cheeses, meats and pates on platters or in vintage wine box hampers as all year round gifts for the more ‘foody-minded’ people.

“These types of gifts make a fantastic change to M&S socks and knickers which most of us (of a certain age), get for Christmas,” says Gina.

In fact, Gina’s is swamped with these gift-requests all the year round as Thank Yous, birthdays, anniversaries etc. The discerning younger clientele are even ordering bespoke hand made Belgium chocolates for their teachers.

“In fact we have been ac-cepting credit card telephone orders from as far away as South Africa and Singapore,” says Gina.

Here are just a few of the se-lections we have created for a perfect and Happy Christmas.

CHEESE PLEASE PLATTER COMBO

A selection of soft, hard and

blue cheeses accompanied with our homemade onion chutney EUR 13.OO

FRENCH PATE PLATTER A selection of smooth,

coarse, and terrine pate ac-companied with spiced cran-berry and apple relish EUR 18.00

INTERNATIONALA selection of hams, Chees-

es and salamis accompanied with aged balsamico and extra virgin olive oil dipping marinade EUR 16.00

GLUTEN FREE GOODIES A selection of ‘medically

approved’ gluten, wheat and lactose free products. Pasta, crackers biscuits, fruit cake, sliced bread, loaf and coffee biscuits EUR 35.00

‘Cos “I LOVE HIM!”Porcelain truckle of aged

stilton, late vintage port, as-sorted biscuits for cheese, miniature Calvados Xmas pudding and 65% Costa Rican chocolate thins EUR 40.00

‘Cos “SHE’S Half bottle Mandois Cham-

pagne, pack of oak-smoked, sliced Scottish salmon, and a box of artisan handmade Bel-gium chocolates EUR 50.00

A Christmas made easy at Gina’s Place, Paphos

It’s Christmas

EURO

Cyprotel Cypria Maris,P.O.BOX 60456, 08127 Paphos, CyprusTel: (+357) 26 96 41 11 Fax: (+357) 26 96 41 25Email: cypriamaris@dhcyprotels.com Find us on Facebook

Christmas PackagesAll Inclusive2 NIGHTS DOUBLE ROOM 2 ADULTS €320

3 NIGHTS DOUBLE ROOM2 ADULTS €420

2 NIGHTS STUDIO-FAMILY ROOM 2 ADULTS 2 CHILDEN €450

3 NIGHTS STUDIO-FAMILY ROOM2 ADULTS 2 CHILDREN €585

New Year PackagesAll Inclusive1 NIGHT DOUBLE ROOM 2 ADULTS €220 2 NIGHTS DOUBLE ROOM 2 ADULTS €360

1 NIGHT STUDIO FAMILY ROOM 2 ADULTS 2 CHILDRENS €285

2 NIGHTS STUDIO-FAMILY ROOM 2 ADULTS 2 CHILDREN €470

FOR MORE PACKAGES PLEASE CONTACT

THE HOTEL

Fabulous, festive, feasty food gift ideas starting from €3.50!

There are many choices of bespoke gifts so call us or pop in for a coffee. GINA’S PLACE – DEDICATED TO GOOD FOOD!

SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013

23

It’sChristmas

A true Mediterranean gemCelebrate Christmas & the New Year in style at the Almond Tree restaurant with our special seasonal set menu’s and live music!

Lobster Bisque

Beef rolls stuffed with brie cheese on a mixed green salad with ranch dressing

Fillet steak with red wine honey reduction& seasonal mediterranean vegetablesORMiso Salmon & citrus soy dipping sauce servedwith a choice of twice cooked chips or mash potato

Baked cheesecake with a duo of fruit coulisPetit fours & coffee

€32 per person

Curried coconut & carrot soup

Teriyaki glazed beef over mixed greens with miso dressing

Fillet steak with tarragon butter & seasonal mediterranean vegetables

OROven baked five spiced duck breast with

cranberries & port wine jus served with mash potato

Key lime pie with fruit coulisPetit fours & coffee

€38 per person

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH OUR CHRISTMAS EVE SET MENU

START 2014 IN STYLE WITH OUR SPECIAL NEW YEAR’S EVE SET MENU

PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. NORMAL WINTER MENU ALSO AVAILABLE.

5, Konstantias StreetKato Paphos

Tel: 26935529 / 99513863

ALMOND Tree restaurant is not your average kind of restaurant in Paphos. It’s well loved by locals, sought out by tourists and always of-fers something a little bit different, it’s some-thing special.

The restaurant fi rst opened in 1995 as a tra-ditional local tavern but the current owner and Head Chef, Andreas Michaelides, took over from his mother fi ve years later when he returned from Miami University.

Over the years Andreas has developed the restaurant into the well-loved, fi ne dining international restaurant that you see today. Many of the dishes are infl uenced from his training in Miami and his passion for mod-ern Asian fl avours; such as the Key West Crab Cakes with Thai red coconut curry sauce or the Asian marinated pork loin with fi ve spiced apples.

On the menu there is a variety to choose from with steaks to seafood and classics with a modern twist such as the double cut stuffed pork chop or the miso-marinated salmon. The restaurant also offers an impressive wine list, seasonal specials and live music nights.

Almond Tree is a family owned and run res-taurant catering towards families serving only the fi nest and freshest local quality ingredi-ents.

If you don’t believe us check the reviews on Trip Advisor for yourself, a true Mediterra-nean gem.

This December there are two special eve-nings planned; on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Both evenings include sumptuous four course set menus ranging from €32pp to €38pp and live music on New Year’s Eve. The a la carte winter menu will also be available so there is plenty to choose from, all you have to do is book, then relax and enjoy the festivi-ties.

For more information Tel: 99 513863 or visit www.facebook.com/almondtree. 5 Konstantias Street, Paphos

December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

24

White Chocolate Cheese-cake

Serves 10

165g digestive biscuits, crushed65g butter, meltedFor the fi lling6 leaves gelatine500g half-fat crème fraiche 100g caster sugar2tsp vanilla extract100g white chocolate, chopped250g ricotta cheeseChocolate curls, gold dra-gees and edible glitter (op-tional)

•Mix together the biscuits and butter and press into the base of a greased, 18cm round springform cake tin. Pop into the freezer while you make the fi lling.•Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until really soft – around 5 minutes. Heat the crème fraiche and

sugar really gently in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Keep stirring. Add the softened gelatine and the vanilla and stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Leave it to cool. •Meanwhile, melt the choc-olate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whizz up the ricotta in a food proces-sor until smooth and add the melted chocolate and the cream mixture. Pour over the biscuit base and place in the fridge to set, overnight.•Carefully remove it from the tin the next day (a hot cloth around the edge of the cake tin will help it to loosen easily) and place on a cake stand and decorate.

Raspberry and Muscat Trifle Serves 10

300ml fresh cream

300ml milk1tsp vanilla extract6 large egg yolks75g caster sugar2tbsp cornfl our24 sponge fi ngers10tbsp Muscat dessert wine450g raspberriesFor the topping

300ml fresh cream12 pink macaroons

•Place the cream, milk and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Place the egg yolks, sugar and cornfl our in a bowl and mix well. Pour

THE best selling col-lection of Swiss com-pany Victorinox Swiss Army - the Maverick - re-mains true to its rebellious nature, and the new models do not alter the design of their predecessors but have been updated with new, bold colours.

The new timepiece pre-sented at this year’s Basel-world comes in four new ver-sions and in four different colours: chocolate brown, green, blue and red and a harmonious monochrome.

The updated collection of Maverick, staying true to its roots, is aimed at men and women since the frame has a diameter of 43mm and 34mm and comes with a

stainless steel brace-let and two colours as well as rubber

bracelet. It is abrasion resistant sapphire crystal with triple anti-refl ective treatment, while the lid is screwed on.

The unidirectional rotat-ing bezel is made of lac-quered steel. The dial has military time, around the hour display, and date win-dow at 6. The watch runs on Swiss Ronda 705 quartz movement and is water re-sistant to 100m.

Maverick: new multicolour style

Dazzle with fabulous desserts

It’sChristmas

Exclusive distributor Eurotimer info@eurotimer.com

Whitecake

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If you don’t want Christmas pudding try one of these instead

SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013

25

It’sChristmas

Sommeliers have to make suggestions for a living so what’s one more little sug-gestion - for instance, to

suggest to you what to drink over Christmas.

2007 Marques de Murrieta Ygay Reserva, Rioja, Spain €25 (Maison du Vin)To be enjoyed by: Alissa Gorchin-

skaja, Head Sommelier Paphos Am-athus

Alissa takes to Spain and in par-ticular to Rioja. “I like this wine because it is a perfect combination of beautiful deep cherry colour, big spicy nose, fl eshy red fruits, silky tannins on the palate and long chocolate fi nish. The perfect match for a lot of Christmas dishes,” says Alissa.

The legendary Ygay property is lo-cated at an altitude of 500m in the heart of the Rioja Alta. The 2007 is a blend of Tempranillo and Maz-uelo. After fermentation in stainless steel the wine has been allowed to age in barrique for 31 months, of which nearly a third has been spent in new barrels. It is an excellent vin-tage borne out by the quality of the fruit, the pedigree of the aromas and theength on the palate. Earth, spice and black cherry dance with dexter-ity over the palate, and there is great fi nesse and charm on the fi nish. Just starting to drink, good for a decade or two.

2001 Valdobbiadene Zardetto Pros-ecco Superiore Brut D.O.C.G Vene-to, Italy €14

To be enjoyed by: Vasos Manoli, Manager/Head Sommelier Risto La Piazza Paphos

Actually we have two recommenda-tions from Vasos, but fi rst the Pros-ecco - a great deal! Fun and fruity, a great hostess for the Christmas party. A blend of 95% Prosecco and 5% Chardonnay, the colour is crystal clear with a hearty white foam and fi ne perlage. Fresh fragrant aromas, here the fruit tends towards ripe yellow peaches, white fl owers, spic-es and minerals that add complex-ity. Delicately soft and harmonious, this quintessential aperitif wine has a long fi nish, generous and nicely balanced. Vasos suggests to enjoy this on the table with the Amuse Bouche or with canapé with smoked salmon and Mascarpone cheese. Or try the Aperol Spritz… simply fi ll a glass (highball glass or white wine glass) 1/4 full with ice cubes (you

want to chill the drink and not wa-ter it down). Pour in the Prosecco and then top with Aperol. Add the soda water. Stir gently until mixed. Garnish with an orange slice (either add slice of orange, twisting to re-lease some juice and placing in the glass or simply use orange slice as garnish). Add some physalis fruit in your plate.

2011 Matua Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand, €16 (La Maison du Vin)

To be enjoyed by: Stalo Arambatzi, Head Barwoman and Sommelier, Four Seasons Hotel, Limassol

Stalo describes her choice per-fectly: “Like a good marriage, wine and food were meant for each other. Christmas has always been about creating happy moments with friends and families and enjoying traditional foods from around the world. My choice of wine for this fes-tive season has to be based on good quality and a budget for each indi-vidual. Due to the hard economical times we have been through this year this bottle of pinot noir is per-fect. The nose has subtle and earthy scents that burst with aromas of cherries, dried cranberries and hints of spices, cinnamon, clove and dark chocolate. A well structured wine with velvety tannins that would complement a traditional Christ-mas turkey seasoned or wrapped in pancetta with a beautiful and tasty wild mushroom stuffi ng. Or perhaps roe deer with glazed chestnuts and wild forest berries sauce. The best things to pair with a Pinot Noir wine and a good dish are the people that you love and why not start with a good wine that matches everybody’s budget. Merry Christmas.

2008 Ktima Alpha Estates Reserve Old Vines, Amyndeo, Greece, €25.50 (La Maison du Vin)

To be enjoyed by: George Zaha-roglou, F&B/Sommelier, Le Meri-dien Limassol

“I picked this wine because since it’s Christmas I would like to recom-mend a Cypriot or Greek wine that fi ts the tradition. It is winter and at this time we tend to drink more red wines. Also Xinomavro is a heavy grape, defi nitely perfect with food. Decanting it is essential. I would recommend it with roast turkey stuffed with sun-dried tomato and wild mushroom This is an excellent choice, a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Xinomavro. It has a bright, deep

ruby colour with purple hints. The bouquet is rich and intricate, earthy dominated by leather and cherry brandy aromas, with a peppery and plumy background. This is a gen-erous wine, full-bodied and chewy, robust with a velvety taste. Vanilla, wood, mocha and toffee hints with a long persistence of aromas

2008 Château Phelan Segur, Saint Esthéphe, Bordeaux, France €35-€45

To be enjoyed by: Iraklis Christo-phorou, president of Cyprus Som-meliers

Opts for the classic combina-tion of claret and roast turkey and this should be easily accessible in most wine shops. This is a classic Bordeaux with a nose of cassis and complex ripe fruit, followed by fi ne secondary aromas of a smoky note. Well-balanced and structured, rich and full bodied with a silky quality that is very seductive and with ripe tannins, this wine has an enjoyably long and elegant fi nish.

Commandaria Kyperounda 2004, €15

To be enjoyed by: Miroslav Kalinic, Restaurant Manager/Sommelier, Le Meridien Limassol

A unique single vintage recently released in the market; a Xynis-teri Commandaria from Ayias Ma-mas matured in oak casks is a bal-anced wine with intense aromas of caramel, raisin and fi g that shows the potential of unfortifi ed Com-mandaria (13%). I choose this wine because it is one of the oldest wine appellations in the world, unfortu-nately here in Cyprus it is forgot-ten or more precisely neglected. Wine with exceptional quality that is known throughout the world and mentioned and used as one of the best dessert wines in the world in almost every competition, whether it’s wine evaluation competitions or the best sommelier competitions. For the Christmas table it is the best wine for dessert that usually consists of Kourabiedes (small al-mond cakes coated in icing sugar), my favourite Melomakarona (small cinnamon and orange fl avoured cakes dipped in honey), lots of dif-ferent dry fruits and almonds. One good Commandaria contains in its infi nite fl avours all the characteris-tics of dried fruits and desserts and therefore I suggest the one made by Kyperounda winery as a perfect match.

Penfolds BIN 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2009 from South Australia, €25 (La Maison du Vin)

To be enjoyed by: Savvas Papatho-mas, Restaurant Manager/Head Sommelier, Four Seasons Hotel Limassol

A well-balanced wine overfl owing with black fruits and smooth tan-nins, a perfect match with Peking duck wrapped in pancakes with hoi sin sauce. This exotic Shiraz has a deep garnet-purple colour, the 2010 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz presents lovely, expressive blueberry, black raspberry and black cherry notes highlighted by violets, toast, cin-namon stick and a touch of mul-berries. Full-bodied and rich, the concentrated fruit is framed by medium levels of rounded tannins, crisp acidity and a long, classically-styled fi nish.

2007 La Crema Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, USA, €27

To be enjoyed by: Vinocultura’s Managing Director /Sommelier An-dreas Kyprianou

“I believe that this is a wine that can make oenophiles in Cyprus have an ‘A-ha’ moment for what Pinot Noir is all about. Enticing with layers of beautiful aromas of fresh Morello cherries, violets and black licorice. Vibrant red plum and cranberry join in on the palate, with notes of tea leaves, orange zest and cocoa. Food Pairing: Ideal with white meats like roast chicken and pork, but it’s unique balance of acidity/alcohol/fruit makes a fantastic pairing with the sizzling fatty lamb chops (souvla style) fresh off the grill.

2009 Methy K&K Kathikas Winery, Pafos G.I. Cyprus, €12

To be enjoyed by: George Kassian-os, Cyprus Mail wine writer

The legend continues with its new vintage, which I must admit it is one of his best. Vibrant ruby colour, damsons, blackcurrant and bright red cherry, spice and herbal notes on the nose. The palate highlights the red cherry, blackcurrant and raspberry com-ponents along with notes of spice and minerality. These characteris-tics are accented by bright acid-ity, integrated tannins and struc-ture. The elegant but generous mouth feel exhibits a rich velvety texture that coats the mouth and lingers on to a long layered finish brilliantly incorporating all of the component elements.

Sommeliers’ Christmas crackersExperts share their tips on how to make Christmas a truly sparkling occasion

on the hot cream, stirring continuously. Pour back into the saucepan and cook on a gentle heat until the custard has thickened. Do not allow to boil, or the custard will split. Strain the custard into a clean bowl, cover the sur-face with clingfi lm and leave to cool. •Soak half the sponge fi n-gers in half the dessert wine until just soft and place in the bottom of a trifl e dish. Scatter over 175g raspber-ries and pour over the cold custard. Repeat same pro-cedure with another layer of sponge fi ngers and raspber-ries. •Lightly whip the cream to soft peaks and spread over the top of the trifl e and chill for at least 2 hours. •To serve, place the maca-roons around the edge of the trifl e dish and pile the remaining raspberries in the centre. Serve immediately.

Nutty Meringue CakeServes 8

4 egg whites225g caster sugar3tbsp fi nely chopped pista-chios, plus extra to serve285ml fresh cream250g chestnut spread125g berriesSilver drageesedible silver glitter – option-al

•Heat the oven to 140C/gas •Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the sugar, 1tbsp at a time, until you have a stiff, glossy meringue. •Trace out 3 x 20cm circles on baking parchment, and stick parchment to 2 bak-ing sheets using a little me-ringue. Divide the meringue between the circles, spoon-ing on and levelling with a spatula. Scatter the pista-chios over each meringue circle. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. Switch off the oven and leave for a fur-ther hour.•To assemble the cake, whip the cream until it holds its shape. Put the chestnut spread in a small bowl, add 3tbsp of the cream to it, and mix in. Put the fi rst meringue on a cake stand, add half the chestnut mix and half the cream, top with another me-ringue and repeat and then add the fi nal meringue. Add a pile of berries, the dragees, glitter and extra pistachios and serve.

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December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL

26

It’sChristmas

I DON’T have anything against Christmas. I’ve teared up at all the right moments in this year’s

festive adverts. In fact, if it was socially acceptable, I’d listen to Wham! all year round, and I actually like eat-ing sprouts. The diffi culty is that I come from a rather large family.

I am one of ten sisters, and we range in age from 15 to 40; at 25 I am number eight. Without getting too tangled up in the back story, my par-ents had three daughters - of which I am the middle one - before they divorced. A short while later they both remar-ried, and in some serendipi-tous twist, both of their new partners already had three daughters from their pre-vious marriages. Then my mother and stepfather had another daughter, and… well, joy of joys, all of a sudden we found ourselves just one per-son away from being able to fi eld our own all-girl hockey team.

For the majority of the year, I consider my vast family to be one of the most wonder-ful things about my life. It’s complicated, yes, and cha-otic, sure, but my sisters are my gang - my closest friends who provide endless support and hilarity, not to mention a cracking shared wardrobe. But a supersize family comes with supersize logistical problems, which are magni-fi ed when Christmas rolls around. There’s a reason the divorce rate spikes in Janu-ary but when your family is already divided, things are exponentially more diffi cult. In an ideal world, my parents and numerous siblings would gather in one place for an idyllic Walton-esque celebra-tion, but the various factions of divorced families don’t tend to get on too well. Ours is no different.

For the past few years my dad and his stepdaughters have been based in Hamp-shire where they do Christ-mas the traditional English way - log fi res, dusky country walks and novelty bow ties. Meanwhile, every December my mum decamps to her home in Italy. My ever-patient stepfather drives, so that she can load the boot with all the vital ingredients for a Tus-

can Christmas: Heinz baked beans, Nescafé instant coffee, a whole Stilton and the family Jack Russell, whom we dress in a Santa outfi t. No one does Christmas as magnifi cently as my mum: the stockings she spends the whole year curating are the stuff of leg-end; her parsnips have been known to inspire spontane-ous applause. My two sisters and I, however, are stuck in the middle having to choose which parent we see on the day and, by horrible exten-sion of logic, which one we don’t. It’s an impossible and heart-wrenching choice.

Each year, the protracted discussion about where we

will spend the following holi-days, or what’s come to be known as ‘The Conversa-tion’, starts on Boxing Day. “I wonder what we’ll all do next year,” one of my par-ents will sigh. My sisters and I exchange kicks under the table before someone nobly steps up to defl ect conver-sation with the announce-ment of plans to drop out of university, have a baby or experiment with recreational drugs. But by June, we’ve run out of stalling tactics. An email pings into our inboxes. Subject: ‘Christmas!!’ ‘Hello darlings!’ Mum chirrups, ‘I encourage you to think about it sooner rather than later!!’

Ignoring the problem only delays the hurt you inevita-bly infl ict on the people you dearly love, since, even with the best of intentions and hours of thought, I have nev-er managed to keep everyone happy.

When we were children, the obvious solution was to al-ternate between households. With my dad’s immediate family numbering eight, in-cluding six ‘spirited’ girls with just seven years between them, he often decided to plonk us on a plane and take us on holiday when it was his turn. This worked with vary-ing degrees of success. There was the year that 13-year-old

Kat’s salmonella struck just as we were heading into the Mo-roccan Atlas M o u n t a i n s ; and another where at least four of us had crushes on the same boy and weren’t speak-ing by the time we fl ew back home.

P re - S ky pe , I remem-ber tearful phone calls on Christmas morning, and there were some mega rows over wheth-er the tree should have tinsel and what time dinner should be served: my mum’s family has a formal black-tie do in the evening, my dad’s lot a leisurely afternoon feast.

To complicate things fur-ther, the Christmas period is stuffed with family birth-days. Things kick off with my nephew Will, who this year will turn six on December 18, swiftly followed by mine on the 22nd (our fi rst year to-

gether, my boyfriend fl oated the idea of getting me a ‘real-ly nice!’ joint present. I fl oat-ed the idea of our split right back at him); another sister has her birthday on Christ-mas Eve. Then nine years ago, we padded downstairs on Christmas Day morning, stockings in hand, to hear that my sister Vicky had just given birth on the newly car-peted bathroom fl oor.

I always celebrate my birth-day (‘Luce-mas’) with an epic party, at least partly in an attempt to distract myself from the looming nightmare Christmas marathon. The downside is that I invariably wake up the following morn-ing sweating tequila, with minutes to panic-pack be-fore hurtling towards which-ever parent we are going to see fi rst. I arrive in a messy heap, while my sisters turn up glossy-haired and bright-eyed, with perfectly assem-bled capsule wardrobes, which I then have to raid. One year the fl ight to Italy was delayed because I ran off the plane just before the doors closed when I realised that McDonald’s had started to serve its lunch menu at

10.30am, convinced a Mc-Chicken sandwich was the only thing that would cure my hangover. Warning: nev-er keep a planeload of Ital-ians from their ‘mamma’ at Christmas.

Now that we’re grown up we have other considerations - new partners with new fam-ilies that need visiting and new traditions to be assimi-lated - but this year (deep breath) we just don’t want to let anyone down. So we’re going to try to do the impos-

sible: rush around Europe to see every single person for one epic week of celebration, in which we will cover over 2,000 miles by car, plane and train.

We’ve mapped out our movements with military pre-cision. We will have my birth-day party at home in London (I will keep it together). The following morning I will pack in time, and I will make it into the car to drive to Her-efordshire, where we will see my boyfriend’s family for a meal on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day itself we will drive to my dad’s for another turkey, spend the night there, and then catch the fi rst fl ight on Boxing Day to Italy, where the whole bloomin’ thing will start again.

We still can’t please every-one. My step-mother’s re-sponse, when we told her we will be spending three hours of Christmas Day in a car so we can be there, was “fi ne”. It will be a bonkers, alcohol-fuelled week and we may not survive intact. And next year, we’ve promised ourselves a Christmas just for us, with a take-away curry and a good boxset. Fat chance.

So this is Christmas?Two thousand miles, ten sisters and four birthdays. For Lucy Hunter Johnston, every Christmas is a logistical nightmare and this year is no diff erent. She maps her marathon week in a bid to spread her cheer evenly

THE 2013 holiday shopping season may end up being remembered for its ugly sweaters and, for many retailers, even uglier dis-counts.

With growing online competition, weak con-sumer confi dence and no fashion must-haves, most US retailers will have to offer both big discounts and stellar service to get consum-ers to spend freely, according to analysts.

“People are being a lot more selective in where they spend their money,” said Wed-bush analyst Gabriella Santaniello.

The battle for the consumer dollar is par-ticularly intense in a year when taxes have risen, unemployment has remained stub-bornly high, and confi dence has taken a hit from the recent government shutdown and uncertainty over the introduction of Presi-

dent Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms.Offsetting those negatives has been the

wealth impact of a rise in home prices and a rallying stock market, although that is more likely to help the luxury end of retailing.

Most industry forecasts show sales growing modestly overall, with online retailers taking a bigger slice of the pie and electronics steal-ing share from apparel.

ComScore, an analytics fi rm, this week said it expected e-commerce sales, including those made on mobile devices, to rise 16 per cent this holiday season.

Santaniello is betting on Urban Outfi tters Inc, American Eagle Outfi tters Inc, and other purveyors of trendy sweaters featuring cu-tesy animals, phrases such as “totes amaze” (slang for totally amazing) in curly cursive,

and “fair isle” patterns.“This is going to be a Christmas of ugly

sweaters,” she said, eyeing an Urban Outfi t-ters tan sweater with a pair of foxes knitted into the pattern of the garment. “That’s the hip thing now; bad sweaters are so cool” among 20- and 30-year olds.

New must-have gadgets such as Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4, Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One gaming consoles and Apple Inc’s latest iPhones and iPads could take a bite out of other holiday gift purchases and hurt some apparel chains, according to analysts.

“There’s a limited wallet, and there’s going to be a lot of competition from outside the apparel space, which means teens are going to be spending much less money on clothes,” said Bridget Weishaar, a retail analyst with

Morningstar.Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic

Retail, expects teen apparel chains to offer bigger discounts closer to Christmas because fashions are “banal” and interchangeable this year, and their customers have been trained to wait for the best deals.

At department store chain JC Penney Co Inc, analysts had mixed views about over-stuffed racks of clothing. Some saw them as a sign of weakness, but others said the com-pany was trying to prove to shoppers that it had overcome recent troubles that included under-stocking of some store brands.

“What one may misconstrue as clutter is merely a strategic effort to meet high cus-tomer demand,” said Penney spokeswoman Daphne Avila.

For US stores it is ugly out there in more ways than one

My mum’s family has a formal black-tie do in the evening, my dad’s lot a leisurely

afternoon feast

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