.jpg?width=1500&name=OMD10997-Christmas-2024-Hubspot-Landing-Page-Banner-1500x400px-O%20(002).jpg "Happy Holidays")
Merry Quiz'mass quiz 📝
We've pulled together a classic seasonal fun quiz, the perfect way to test your Christmas knowledge!
I'm Dreaming of a Green Quiz'mass quiz 🌍
With questions about the environment, nature, wildlife and sustainability, find out how green you are with our Natural History and Sustainability quiz!
Christmas pudding brownies
You have probably got one hanging around from last year to use! This is a great alternative to the traditional pudding on Christmas Day, but this recipe is also good for Boxing Day, using left over pudding.
Serving: 10 people
Course: dessert
Time: 50 mins
Ingredients:
- 400g butter
- 400g dark chocolate
- 6 eggs
- 4 tbsp brandy, amaretto, or rum
- 500g caster sugar
- 250g plain flour
- 200g cooked Christmas pudding
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line a 30cm x 20cm baking tin with baking paper.
- Chop the butter into small cubes and pop into a large pan. Place on a gentle heat and let it begin to melt.
- Chop the chocolate and add it to the butter when it has nearly melted. Keep on the heat until the chocolate has melted, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- While the butter cools, beat the eggs in a large bowl with your chosen liqueur (if using) until frothy, then beat in the sugar.
- Stir in the melted butter and chocolate, then sift in the flour and use a metal spoon to fold it all together.
- Crumble in the Christmas pudding and stir until fully mixed. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin.
- Slide into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is pale but the middle is still dark and gooey. There should still be a slight wobble when you shake the tin.
- Leave the brownies to cool for 10-15 minutes in the tin, then cut into squares.
- Serve warm with leftover brandy cream, custard or ice cream.
- The brownies are also delicious cold and will keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 days, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Brined turkey breast with peppercorns, rosemary, orange, lemon & all spice
This is a great recipe! All prepared the day before, leaving you with a very tender and flavoursome turkey. We like using turkey breast on Christmas Day as there is less hassle cutting it and a lot less cooking time.
Serving: 10 people
Course: Christmas lunch
Time: 12 hours + 1 hour cooking time
Ingredients:
- 2.5 kg turkey breast rolled and tied from the butcher
- 500ml water
- 500g ice cubes
- 4ltrs ice water cold water
- 125g kosher salt
- 125g light or dark brown sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 4 to 8 sprigs fresh rosemary or sage
- Strips of lemon or orange peel
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
Instructions:
- Get a pot, container or sealable plastic/cooking bag large enough to hold the turkey breast, so it's sealed and covered. If you use a sealable bag to brine your turkey breast, you will still want to rest the bag in a container large enough to hold the turkey in case the bag tears. Clear out enough space in your fridge to hold the container with the breast in it.
- Heat 500ml water with the salt and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve into the water, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and add 500g of ice cubes to the solution, to cool the liquid to room temperature. Pour the brine solution into the container or bag, and add the gallon of ice water. Add any of the optional add-ins that you like.
- Submerge the turkey breast in the brine, making sure it’s covered with liquid. If the turkey floats up, you can place a small heavy plate over it to keep it submerged. Cover the container or seal the bag, and place in the fridge.
- Brine the turkey breast for 12 to 24 hours, but no longer than 24 hours or the brine will make the meat start to turn mushy when cooked.
- When ready to cook, or if the 24 hours elapses, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. If you have the extra time, allow the turkey breast to sit on a wire rack in a tray in the fridge uncovered for another 12 to 24 hours. This will dry out the skin a bit, making it brown and crisp up better when you roast it.
- Pre-heat oven to 200c once the turkey has been dried and ready in a roasting tray
- Roast the turkey for about 20 minutes then turn oven down to 165c for another 20 minutes or until the centre reaches 75c.
- Leave to rest for 30 minutes and then slice.
Marinated beetroot with grilled goat's cheese, walnuts & honey
This is a very simple starter for Christmas Day and can be prepared the day before.
Serving: 4 people
Course: starter
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 90ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 15ml of red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dill
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 4 raw beetroots, peeled and very thinly sliced on a mandolin or with a food processor slicing attachment.
- 4 individual vegetarian goats’ cheeses or 4 goat's cheese log rounds with rind
- 4 handfuls rocket
- 100g crushed walnuts
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions:
- Mix the oil, vinegar, sugar and thyme in a shallow dish and season well. Add the sliced beetroot and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight if you like.
- Heat the grill to high. Season the goat’s cheese slices, then place on an oiled baking tray and grill for 2-3 minutes until golden and melting.
- Lift out the beetroot, reserving the marinade, and divide between 4 plates.
- Top with the rocket, a round of goat’s cheese and a little more rocket and sprinkle on nuts.
- Drizzle with the marinade and honey, then serve.
Suggested reads for the festive season 📚
Last year our English team shared their ideas on gifting books to your loved ones for 2022. This year our English Subject Advisors, Sam Orciel and Lydia Ridding, have suggested some festive reads for the holiday as well as their recommended reads for your holiday shopping list! 🎁
Festive reading suggestions from Lydia
During the holidays, I find it really comforting to revisit familiar stories. Perhaps an obvious choice (and one that features on our GCSE English Literature specification) is Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Sentimental and whimsical though they may be, I find the descriptions of Fezziwig’s ball and the Cratchit family’s festive lunch of goose, where the youngest Cratchits are ‘steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows’ some of the most warmly entertaining scenes in Victorian literature. My well-thumbed copy of the text, A Christmas Carol and other Writings, also includes some fabulous ghost stories and a very moving piece entitled What Christmas is, as we grow older – really worth seeking out if you haven’t come across them before.
Another book that I love for its nostalgic power at this time of year is Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy. The opening of the novel focuses on the members of Mellstock village choir as they make their way around the village singing carols on Christmas Eve. Intricate descriptions of the setting and wonderful dialogue make me long for Christmas of bygone times.
Last year, I treated myself to Stories for Christmas and the festive season from the British Library Women Writers series. With festive-themed stories like Christmas in a Bavarian Village by Elizabeth Von Arnim and Turkey Season by Alice Munro, the collection is perfect for dipping in and out of at this busy time of year. I am also looking forward to reading the latest publication in this series from the British Library, Stories for Winter & Nights by the Fire this year.
Recommended reads for your holiday shopping list!
Lydia: An individually published short story, So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan (author of Foster and Small Things Like These) is a clever, poignant tale about the aftermath of a relationship that has ended. Like all of Keegan’s fiction is it stunningly well-observed. This one would be great for anyone who likes reading but doesn’t have time to devote to a longer novel.
I am really enjoying Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Set in London in the 1920s, it follows the story of nightclub owner Nellie Coker who has just been released from Holloway Women’s Prison. With plenty of quick-witted humour and glamorous depictions of the London nightclub scene, it is a pacey and entertaining read – perfect escapism!
In October, I saw Lemn Sissay performing his new collection of quatrains, Let the Light Pour In, a selection of verse taken from his years of daily writing practice. It was brilliant to watch live, but I didn’t buy a copy of the book because I am really hoping it will be in my Christmas stocking instead.
Sam: Since I'm not actually living my dream of being a wealthy art curator, I read many books about art instead. This year, in a similar way to Katy Hessel’s The Story of Art Without Men last year, I was absolutely blown away by Zaria Ware’s BLK ART. This is a playful, lively and conversational exploration of Black art and history, presented beautifully. Recommended for every art lover in your life.
I’ve lost count of how many hands I’ve pressed I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Waits into (including the Subject Advisor book club)! There are lots of novels about difficult families, but this one tells the story of two sisters and their mother in a particularly clear, relatable and sharply witty way. One for the person who needs to escape with a good book on Boxing Day!
Finally, with a one-year-old nephew, I’ve had to immerse myself in the wild and creative world of books for young children. So far we’ve enjoyed the comedy of image-based books (Press Here by Hervé Tullet is a particular favourite for us both!), but I can’t wait until he’s old enough to read I Yam A Donkey! by Cece Bell. Recommended by a linguist at our English Forum, it’s perfect for kids starting to learn about jokes and wordplay (and the existentialism of ‘to be...)!
This year our Performing Arts team have enlisted some special guests from across the industry to bring festive cheer and the soundtrack to your holiday!
Adam Fox – Performing Arts Subject Advisor at OCR
Two songs spring to mind straight away… “It Feels Like Christmas” from The Muppets Christmas Carol has to be in there. This is not only my favourite Christmas film, but one of my favourite films of all time (the uncut version that includes “When Love is Gone” of course!). It’s just so joyous and festive, blending two of my favourite things: Musical Theatre and Christmas!
The other is “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John. I am that controversial and slightly annoying friend who feels Christmassy far too early and this is always the first song that I put on (usually in the very early Autumn!) Also, “Welcome to my Christmas song” is surely the best opening line of any song ever, right?!
Marie Bessant – Lead Subject Advisor at OCR
The entire Christmas album from Sia 😊 Favourite song on there is “Santa’s Coming For Us” but they are all bangers and don’t feel quite as cheesy as some other Christmas albums out there! (Leona Lewis, I’m looking at you!) AND (if I am allowed another one) “The Christmas Song” by The Raveonettes. Sounds vintage and current all at once.
Caitlin Hayward – Associate Assistant Head and Head of Drama at Hearts and Essex High School
My favourite Christmas song is “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee. It reminds me of being in Year 6 and performing it in our Christmas school show when our class was representing the 1950s. It was a fun concept and it was like a mash-up of that and 'Blue Suede Shoes', but the Christmas spirit won out. It was just a super fun experience and always makes me smile.
Christopher Tendai – Resident Choreographer on the current UK tour of Jesus Christ Superstar
My favourite Christmas song would be “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis. Rather than loving it straight away, this song has grown on me over the years because it’s so repetitive! I now have to listen to it every Christmas!
Becky Owen-Fisher – Producer at Lamphouse Theatre Company
My favourite Christmas song is the classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra. I love to pop on a traditional playlist on Christmas Eve and imagine I’m having an old school Yuletide with snow, roasted chestnuts and open fires. Something about this song makes me feel comfortably festive!
Monica Trabucchi – Deputy Stage Manager, currently working on “Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World” UK tour
My favourite Christmas song (and one that particularly reminds me of theatre) is “Dominick The Donkey” (The Italian Christmas Donkey). When we did the 2017 panto at King’s Theatre in Southsea it was put in the pre-show playlist as a joke simply because I'm Italian, but it gave me so much joy and giggles that it's become a track I just love hearing, always bringing back fond memories of that panto!
Mark Doubleday – Lighting Designer and Lecturer at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
It would have to be Eartha Kitt’s version of “Santa Baby”. This song brings back very happy memories of a close-knit group of friends. One year we shared a house, and over the Christmas period one of the group, who was a Graphic Designer, put together an amazing album of Kitt’s Christmas songs. “Santa Baby” was the track that got played the most and remains a special memory today!
Anna Lapwood – Associate Artist of the Royal Albert Hall and Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Michael Buble 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' – I love the orchestration in this arrangement and the way the introduction builds a gentle anticipation to the first time we hear Michael sing. I always played this song while decorating the Christmas tree as a teenager, so it never fails to put a smile on my face!
Have a listen to our playlist for the festive soundtrack to your holiday!
