Festive Christmas Food at Iceland

I can’t believe that Christmas will be here in only two weeks. The countdown has certainly started and we cannot wait to meet our family over the festive season, while enjoying delicious food and drinks.

Last weekend, I went to Iceland HQ to have a first look at Iceland Christmas range and try their festive treats. After attending Iceland Christmas in July event and tasting a selection of delicious food, I knew that I would love this year’s offerings. 

Food

As a Brazilian-Greek family, our family gatherings are usually accompanied by a feast. I was brought up meeting our extended family over the festive period, while having a selection of dishes to enjoy. I love the fact we still enjoy the same traditions now that I am older.

Neil cooked a delicious lobster tail tacos, and shared some top tips, such as: never blanch lobsters as you will lose some of the flavours. Instead you can grill it on the BBQ or in a pan, to keep all the delicious taste intact. 

Once cooked, you can smoke the lobster tail by placing it on a tray with hay and setting on fire. In a matter of minutes, you will have smoked lobster tails, ready to go on a taco with guacamole, which was made from frozen avocado. What an easy and delicious festive appetizer!

Although preparing the turkey could sometimes be a boring and lengthy job, Neil showed us a trick to free up some space in the oven. You can place the turkey on the BBQ and leave it there for a couple of hours, until it is cooked. 

In the meanwhile, you can prepare your vegetables, potatoes, pigs in blanket and trimmings in the kitchen. Such a clever idea! Hubby loves any excuse to light up the BBQ, so we will be trying it this year. You can also add any other food to the BBQ, such as peppers, lobster, prawns and anything you wish!

Dry turkey is a thing of the past as Iceland has a new Luxury Gilded Turkey with a mustard and honey glaze. It was inspired by a 15th century tradition to keep the turkey moist by baking it with the muslin and butter cloth, which keeps the juices of the turkey in it. The mustard and honey dressing adds a gilded finish. The turkey was beautifully cooked and so moist!

To mark the occasion, you can even decorate the turkey with gold leaves. I must find those as the result was fantastic!

Desserts

Desserts are my favourite part of the meal. Iceland has a wonderful selection of desserts, no wonder it is the market leading in the desserts market. 

There are so many delicious desserts this Christmas, such as the Luxury raspberry and pistachio layered pavlova and the Luxury Sicilian lemon tartlets, which we tried in our Impressive Entertainment party.

You will also find chocolate creme brulee desserts,  chocolate and orange choux garland, fruit eclairs, macarons, Belgian chocolate melt in the middle puddings and other beautifully looking desserts. There is definitely something for everyone!

  This Christmas, you can impressive your guests by serving the desserts on the table, instead of plating them individually. You can get a blank cover, lay it on the table and start getting creative with sauces and decorations. 

The melting chocolate snowflake is perfect for this as each guest can help themselves to as much as they like. The indulgent chocolate brownie base is topped with a Belgian chocolate bronze snowflake shell. It comes with a chocolate sauce, which melts the shell as soon as the hot sauce lands on it. You can also decorate the table with edible graffiti, which look so impressive!

Drinks

No party is complete without festive drinks. I love mince pies, but had never thought about adding it to a cocktail. I really love the taste of the mince pie martini, featuring the all butter pastry with plump vine fruits laced with brandy and cider. As I am not drinking at the moment, I had the mocktail version, which was so festive and refreshing!

What is your favourite festive food and drink?

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