Julbord… or Yule bored?

Another Christmas week has crept up on me, my cards are still not written or posted and I’m frantically trying to seek out a last-minute gift for my mum that doesn’t reveal my last-minute desperation. However, I have been relieved of one less worry this year – Christmas dinner. Living with a foodie means that the kitchen is out of bounds to me this season.

While out sharing a glass or two of Christmas spirit with an American friend, we discussed our yuletide plans. She revealed that this year she would be hosting a dinner for the season’s orphans, i.e. those that who won’t be spending the holiday with their own families. Being a Christmas orphan isn’t as sad as it seems, in fact it’s really good fun. No listening to elderly family members telling the same stories that they tell every year, just before falling asleep in front of the TV, no trudging through snow storms, only to find yourself stranded for days in a town that you can’t wait to leave and of course, the obligatory Christmas food that we are forced to eat that we wouldn’t dream of eating on any other day.

I admit that although my mother is a woman of many talents, cooking is not one of them, so I am spared the traditional yule menu. Instead, it has become a ritual to rush into the food department of Marks & Spencer (a UK institution) to pick up my favourite ready meals. My dinner of choice is usually curry. I’ve been doing it for years.

As my friend would be hosting a fellow American and a Swede, I asked which traditional menu she would be following? “None” she responded. “We decided that I would serve our favourite dishes.” Why do we subject ourselves to foods that we don’t enjoy during the most indulgent season of the year? Does the bible state that god wishes to eat turkey or roast ham? Does eating brussel sprouts signify the suffering and hardship that the Virgin Mary endured for mankind? Throughout the month Titti and Igi have been serving Christmas revellers during countless office Christmas parties. Although you can be guaranteed that a Christmas meal at Bloom is far from conventional, Titti does include some ingredients traditional to the season. As Igi explains “It's a shame to depart from tradition, but one gets fed up of Christmas after a month or so. One of the reasons may be because all the shops start peddling their Christmas stuff so early, so by the time the holiday arrives, it’s an anti climax! However, I love a roast... any kind of roast at Christmas, followed by cold ham the next day! Titti is a typical Swede, she likes Herrings, prins korv and liver paste.” Whatever meal we choose, the most important things are surely the company that we share it with and that whatever we are fortunate to be served, we should receive it with gratitude.

Check the news section for opening times during Christmas and the New Year.