Waitrose have somehow sensed my excitement…

It’s here! Christmas has begun, at least is has for our Chris thanks to the team at Waitrose.

I’ve been counting down the days to Christmas 2015 since Christmas 2014, mainly because I just know that our almost 2-year-old little girl will this year start to understand the festivities of Christmas. I cannot wait to see her little face on Christmas Day.

Clearly Waitrose has somehow sensed my excitement for Christmas 2015 and this week kindly invited me to have Christmas dinner with them, together with a few other handpicked bloggers and possibly the nicest guy on telly – Mr Phillip Schofield (yes he’s also awesome in real life, a top bloke).

Phillip, or @Scofeofwine as he’s known on Twitter, is the wine expert for Waitrose and he really knows his stuff, entertaining us with stories of his own wine cellar.

Our Chris and Phillip Schofield at Waitrose Cookery School

Donning my new Waitrose Christmas apron, we were treated to a canapé masterclass from in-house chef Sam Akrigg. Sam a fellow northerner (albeit from the wrong side of the pennines), is an extremely experienced and talented chef who blew my mind with stories of bacon oil and bacon powder. How he dreams up these things I have no idea. I provided a brief thought-provoker for Sam when I questioned the possibility of beef dripping powder – Sam has promised to come back to us with some ideas on this one. I’ll keep you posted!

A Blow your mind cocktail at Waitrose

On to the drinks and I learnt how to create a rather tasteful but head-blowing cranberry and orange margarita. I’ll be honest, you only need one of these!

Waitrose Starter

And so the Christmas dinner… a starter of salmon and beetroot, fantastically seasonal and superbly presented. A joy of a starter, served with a horseradish creme that was incredibly light, which was fitting really, because on Christmas Day the main meal really should be the feast.

Waitrose Christmas Dinner

And a feast it was. Organic roast turkey with devils on horseback, truffle cauliflower cheese, caramelised red cabbage, sprouts pancetta and cranberries, carrot and swede mash, roast onion with chestnut and leek stuffing, honey and mustard roast parsnips, roast potatoes, thyme and port gravy and, yes you guessed it, a Yorkshire Pudding!

Not only am I extremely proud to say I completed this epic feast but I’d also like to take the opportunity to declare Waitrose my favourite store ever. Why? Because they, like me, believe that a Yorkshire Pudding is a Christmas dinner must-have. I salute you!!

Cupcakes

In a bid to a work off at least a few of the calories consumed we were treated to a cupcake decorating masterclass before tucking into a phenomenally tasty sherry trifle and a selection of cheeses.

Waitrose Cheese

I’m a massive Christmas fan. Besides spending it with family, I look forward to the opportunity to cook alongside my mum, by biggest cooking rival but also my biggest cooking inspiration.

This year Waitrose are asking what #MakesChristmas for you? Share it with @Waitrose on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #MakesChristmas.

Here’s to the start of a very festive 2015 Christmas!