Festive Inspiration for the Unconventional Christmas Fan
October 11, 2013
It may be because Halloween’s almost here or it could be because we’re just trying to show off our latest additions, but either way we’re feeling rather darkly festive over recent weeks.
Because while we understand that a fairy on top of the artificial Christmas tree, your little one’s circa 1994 home-made decorations and some pretty snowball lighting might be some people’s idea of Christmas bliss, for others the idea of sickly sweet and delicate is just far too much to stomach.
You want tough, you want stylish and most of all you want a tree that flies in the face of convention. Here, in the section of the Christmas Tree World website cordoned off by a velvet curtain, we may have just the thing for the S&M* in you.
(*That’s sophisticated and manly, by the way).
Yes we’re talking about black Christmas trees. Not many dare, but at Christmas Tree World we’re boldly stepping where no Christmas tree company has gone before to bring you a tree as black as the night (or blue, depending on your preference).
Here’s a peak; new and exclusive.
Phwoar!
So in celebration of our more unconventional blue/black, green/black range, we thought a little alternative Christmas inspiration was in order. Forget dry turkey and green trees, this is Christmas revamped!
Christmas dinner with all the trimmings: Venison and darkly delicious chocolate
This is one from Gordon’s collection and we just have to make one thing clear: venison isn’t reindeer. It’s red deer and fallow. Squeamishness out the way, let’s get on to the deliciousness! This is a great recipe for creating a really special meal with a difference – plus venison has 1/3 of the fat of chicken and exceptionally high iron content, a luxe meal for the health conscious! Serves 4-6- 800g venison leg or shoulder, chopped into chunks
- 6 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped into strips
- 6 tablespoons of olive oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons of seasoned flour for sealing the meat
- 4 red onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 heaped tablespoon of chopped thyme
- 1 heaped tablespoon of chopped rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 700ml good quality red wine
- 300ml beef stock
- 30g good quality dark chocolate
- 40g butter
- 2 heaped tablespoons of redcurrant jelly
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 small swede chopped into small chunks
- 6 chantenay carrots, split lengthways
- Salt and pepper
Gifts of the unconventional variety
You could give them slippers, or you could go against the grain and choose something a little more white knuckle. We were thinking:- Skydiving – either indoor or outdoor (think the former for smaller budgets).
- Silverstone white knuckle passenger ride – terrifying and perfect for motorsports fans.
- Coasteering – What is coasteering you ask? Coasteering is basically an all encompassing term for wet and wild, leaping off cliffs, clambering up sheer rock faces and swimming into caves. You may also come across ‘Ghyll Scrambling’ which is basically clambering up mountain springs.