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00:00it's Christmas and it's chilly out but as someone who finds it very hard to
00:07chill out at Christmas this year I'm hoping to ring the changes we all want
00:12to make this the most wonderful time of the year how about we give up trying to
00:16make it perfect I mean there's something quite sweet and droopy about having the
00:21wings down low Daisy forget about the trends create your own traditions and
00:26embrace everything you love about Christmas this year I'm highlighting
00:31the joys of a spectacularly sticky ham I like everything everything to have a
00:37bit more spice I'm giving present wrapping the personal touch and then to
00:41finish it off a little cockable oh yes look that looks really smart and I'm
00:47throwing a homely hassle-free Christmas party for friends and family with
00:51heavenly handmade treats you shouldn't have to cook food you don't like or
00:56spend money you don't have they're designed to be made with things that you
01:00might already have at home be inspired literally I kid you not the world's your
01:05oyster you can do anything you want with this oh my god superheated the bauble
01:11yeah telling me indulge yourself that is gonna basically chill you out from the
01:17get-go this is a good way to spend a day this is about you and doing Christmas
01:24your way that was a joy
01:40everyone knows I'm a sucker for a Christmas tree over the years the crafters in my
01:46Christmas tree competitions have made every type of tree bauble imaginable from
01:52metal mini masterpieces to Bollywood baubles via the candy cane forest they've
01:56all blown me away it's quite staggering Ellie it's just a sort of candy colored
02:04yarn fest I don't think you can have too many tree decorations so today I've
02:10invited Potter Adam Johnson to help me add Raku baubles to my collection a craft
02:16involving pottery and fire and you don't need a big kiln what's not to love
02:21oh Adam I'm so pleased you are here this ball looks so great in a few minutes you're gonna be a Raku
02:31potter well that I don't believe are you ready I am so ready yes absolutely Raku is an incredible
02:39Japanese pottery making technique that creates unique finishes on pieces fired at high temperatures and
02:44believed or not Adam has pioneered a way to do Raku in a microwave kiln that you can buy from around 20
02:52pounds so this is a really exciting thing the microwave kiln isn't it because for a lot of us
02:59pottery was off-limits unless you had a kiln and that's quite an expensive piece of kits also where
03:06you're gonna put it exactly and now micro Raku is something that I've kind of got into a way so we
03:13can share it with everyone so the world can start doing pottery I think that's remarkable Adam has come
03:18prepared with his clay slip cast baubles but you can buy these online from specialist shops though
03:24check that they are microwave safe pop the bauble in the kiln and the kiln in the microwave and we're
03:29ready for Raku round one and just assume that everything's hot and watch me I've got at this
03:37point if you'd like to put some glasses on right now when I take this off yeah it's gonna be a red
03:41hot bauble right inside I'm gonna pop the bauble over here okay and then you can choose feather or
03:46or pug hair right which one should we start with feather I'm feeling sorry for the pug that's lost
03:51all that hair maybe take a few and I think we're gonna call this technique the tickle of the feather
03:57please do be assured that no pugs or birds were harmed in the making of this Christmas bauble what
04:02I'll do is I'll just take this off first and you can oh my god superheated the bauble yeah telling me
04:08as it cools down from it was probably a thousand degrees when we took it out because it was glowing
04:12whoa so we want it to be about 300 degrees oh oh yeah like this this is a good way to spend a day
04:24I'm being super careful under Adam's expert supervision but you will want to follow the
04:28safety guidance that comes with the kit and wear gloves when advised I'll pop it here and you can
04:36see that the clay in the cool one is a lot whiter yes really nice contrast you can use any type of
04:44feather to create the classic smoky markings other carbon-rich materials like sugar or hair work well
04:50too and for those who prefer a bit of color Adam is showing me a second version of Raku that I've never
04:57seen before we'll create our own glitter by making rainbow baubles oh my god those are amazing and every
05:04single one's totally different what's the name of this technique so this is called rainbow Raku how
05:10do I make one of those we have a Raku glaze okay so this is essentially glass as a dust form within a
05:19lovely soup or gravy and when we paint that onto the bauble and get it to a thousand degrees it's
05:24going to turn into this lovely coppery glaze so let's get you a bauble there are several different
05:31Raku glazes available which create beautiful metallic finishes we begin by painting the first
05:37coat I'm going to grab the kiln out of the microwave and then we're going to use the residual heat from
05:43the microwave to dry the pot once dry a second coat is applied it's dried in the same way and then into
05:53the microwave it goes so what next we've got nine seconds okay then when the microwave beeps I'll take
06:01the kiln out yes and if you'd like to yes you can get the bauble off the platform and pop it onto the
06:08sawdust and then it will burst into flames we then cover it and inside the tin inside the pot there's no
06:15oxygen so we call that a reduction atmosphere and what you do when you check it is you flash the oxygen
06:20back on and that's when you get this kind of cloud so it all changes from green up to copper
06:27promises promises there Adam you are promising a lot here so it all depends on the way that we do it but I
06:36feel like I feel like you've got it down I am so excited about this it's a well painted one
06:40prepped and ready to make rainbows one the glass two three there we go wow how long do we leave that
06:53there maybe three or four minutes so it's got a cool down from 900 degrees which is when it was
06:58glowing down to about 300 degrees we've got three minutes in which I need to ask you when you first
07:04did pottery after I graduated I got run over by a car so I know I saying it with a smile I was in a
07:10wheelchair for 18 months and clay was actually one of the things that gave me that little win every day so I'd
07:17sit down and I'd make something with clay and I'd just have that little moment of like I've made this I've done
07:23something with my day wow the transformational power of crafts never ceases to amaze me waiting
07:30over and it's time to lift the lid on my rainbow Raku under there the bauble we don't actually know
07:37how hot it is but we want it to be a temperature where the glaze changes so it will be very coppery
07:42yeah and as soon as the oxygen hits it it's going to try and go back to green yeah like verdigris yeah we're
07:48going to stop it in the middle which is where we get the rainbows so when I take the tin off if you're
07:53prepped with the tongs yes you can grab the warble and if it's changing very fast get it in that water
07:58right that's called quenching so you ready yeah yeah it's beautiful yay it's lovely Christmas magic
08:16five minutes later super so actually now it's ambient and ready to be oh it's beautiful it's
08:31one of the best first bubbles I've ever seen you would just be best that's not yeah that's not a
08:37joke that's absolutely phenomenal it's got everything you've got all the colors from copper down to green
08:43and you've even got a bit where you can kind of see where the oxygen's hit it perfect that was a joy
08:53Adam has blown me away two miraculous mini marbles for my tree and all from the microwave
09:01top of my Christmas list this year is spending more time with family and the people I love and
09:09the eagle-eyed super fans among you will recognize this familiar face over 10 years ago my god
09:16daughter Daisy with her sister Stella taught me how to make paper bunting what's the theme of the
09:21bunting for Christmas oh sleighs sleighs of course and the outcome really did sleigh that girls you did it
09:29with red red oh my word oh my word I'm thrilled with my Christmas edition of the bunting
09:41Daisy might have grown up a bit since then but her love of paper crafts hasn't waned
09:48and this time she's teaching me how to make joyous paper angels
09:52all those left over Christmas cards that don't belong in landfill Daisy has a crafty solution
09:58Daisy hello
10:00so I'm so pleased you've come back I've returned you have my grand return slightly older none the wiser
10:11this might be one of the most simple inspired inexpensive personalized presents I've ever seen grab
10:19your old Christmas cards photos of friends and family some split pins and all the decorations you
10:24can find and you're ready to go you have some little Christmas cards in front of us okay and you want to
10:30pick maybe three I'd say three with varying colors varying patterns okie-dokie one one card will be for
10:37the legs and one card will be for the wings cut out shapes for the body wings legs and
10:45arms Daisy's made me a template but you can go freestyle if you prefer no need to strive for
10:50perfection embrace the comedy in this craft I put the feet on at the same time it doesn't
10:56have to be particularly anatomically correct but there we go well that's a good job it doesn't
10:59have to be I think there's a charm to Christmas crafts though that they can be
11:07mismatched now we're ready to arrange the body parts before assembling yours is really good Daisy
11:14I'm going more for pasta necklace than modern art next use a scalpel or something else sharp and a
11:21cutting mat to make a small hole where you want to attach the pieces insert the split pin and secure
11:27by spreading the prongs at the back your wings are higher up on your body which also I think is better
11:33than me I mean there's something quite sweet and droopy about having the wings down low
11:40Daisy I can't believe you just said that whether you end up as a fallen angel or a celestial cherub
11:46once everything is attached it's time to find a face that fits there's a little surprise in here
11:53Daisy let's see we have my cat couscous here he is couscous we have see we have you you've got me brilliant another one of you oh thanks Daisy these are both very old photos where are the pictures of you Daisy and oh well I seem to have
12:15well I seem to have suddenly become Phil Phil oh no I want one with you on oh no but we've got couscous so what does one do cut around yeah cut around the face I mean you could even go to town and mix and match faces a little bit you could
12:30cut out the eyes from someone whoever you choose be it human animal or both attach with a glue stick and voila
12:38oh that looks amazing I haven't glued it yet but oh my god couscous really works cats work better than
12:46people on angels I know and there isn't a Christmas craft in the land that doesn't benefit from a sprinkle
12:51of glitter or a flurry of pom-poms so we're going to town if you were an angel how would you want to
12:57dress and obviously you want all the sparkles all the pom-poms I'm gonna I'm gonna give myself some
13:03red shoes look at that Dorothy's shoes they work that really they work so well she's a great to be honest
13:14we could go on for absolutely ever I think we've got to probably say that we're stopping couscous and Daisy
13:22and me and better me what a joy to spend time crafting at Christmas with one of my favorite
13:31people and luckily for me Daisy and paper couscous are both hanging around for my party celebrations
13:38this year we're doing Christmas differently letting go of the stresses and strains in favor of a homely
13:55handmade Christmas everyone knows that for children sometimes it's more the wrapping and less the present
14:02so we thought we'd embrace that paper artist Sammy Quinn is a grand master of copious clever tricks
14:10with paper and she's here to teach me how to create the most incredible animal gift boxes I think what's
14:16nice about these makes is that they're designed to be made with things that you might already have at
14:21home you don't have to go out and buy any sort of specialist kit start by wrapping your box with
14:26colored paper I've customized mine using a rubber stamp and acrylic paint everything that you're
14:32sticking down now isn't going to be on display so we're gonna add quite a lot of decoration to these
14:37boxes right okay most things will be sort of hidden try not to be a perfectionist yeah how did you know my
14:47orange box will become a festive Fox and Sammy's plain brown box will be transformed into a reindeer we are
14:54gonna take our paper yeah we've got our templates and we're gonna draw round the various shapes cut
15:03circles for eyes and noses face eyes and nose go on with glue and already they are coming alive next
15:11some rounded triangles for Fox's ears I'm just gonna do a little score mark in his ears and this is just
15:19gonna create a little tab so that we can stick those onto the box then the tab over and Fox's ears
15:25just need a 3d flourish before they're stuck on I'm just bending my ears a tiny bit just a tiny bit of a
15:32pinch up top I'm gonna start composing my reindeer as well at the same time I've cut some little slits into
15:40the paper yes and then when you pull those up it just adds another little layer yeah exactly so it gives that
15:49illusion of fur I'm gonna use some of those double-sided foam tabs yeah you can just stick them bang in the
15:55middle and then that gives you a floaty yeah adds a little bit of depth with the faces coming together it's time to
16:02bring some Christmas joy now what we can do we've got a pen yeah is we can go in and give them a little
16:11bit of a facial expression so give them a little smile there and what's a fox without a bushy tail
16:18I've cut out a brown almost oak leaf shape as its base so you thought yes I saw that a little fold is
16:25that and that's how we're gonna attach our tail to the sort of side one side a bit taily and then the
16:31other side a bit straight yeah but with the flap and then that means we can attach that into the
16:37side of the box what we're going to do is we're going to add a little bit of embellishment to our
16:40tail so I've cut these little sort of fluffy shapes and then we're going to start at the top and I've
16:47cut them in the two tones start in that sort of top area and then just then sort of layer them down
16:52absolutely different shades of paper create visual interest and Sammy's got a cunning tip if you were
16:58really trying to elevate this you could use the edge of your scissors you can curl some of them up so
17:04that when you're sticking them down you've got even more sort of texture adds another level of
17:08dimension there you go now it is definitely looking more taily and less autumnal leaf next we heat Foxy
17:18up with a sprightly scarf using two strips of red paper we're going to fold that one in half yeah so
17:25this is going to be the sort of the tail oh I see I see I fold that in half and then that's going to
17:31loop over the top right just like that I didn't stick on my tail too tightly so I can glue the scarf
17:38around the box and tuck it under the tail trim to the right length and then cut slits on the end to
17:45create a little fringe meanwhile Sammy gets busy with 3d ears for Rudolph I'll just show you the
17:53little reindeer so I've got the shape for his ears okay and I've just cut a little slit into the bottom
17:57of the paper yeah and then we're going to just use a bit of glue and then we're going to fold it round
18:02and it's going to create this sort of 3d ear finally every festive Fox needs a hat and this clever one
18:10is rather regal start with a rectangle of paper cut into long strips on one side and short strips on
18:17the other you cut a strip of paper and then you're gonna stick it and if you line it up with one edge
18:23you'll notice it's too big on one side purposefully right so and I'm going to use my ruler and my scalpel
18:34and I'm going to make a very light score mark here and what this will mean is that we can bend these
18:43bits I was okie doke and then to make the hat I'm going to just put the paper on the rubber and we're
18:49going to put a hole in the center of each of those tabs okay want to give that a go and it'll all make
18:56sense while we're doing this at the moment I have every confidence Sammy that it's going to make sense
19:00every confidence holes made we loop it around attach the tab and it's starting to take shape
19:07a split pin is the key to forming the dome shape so we're going to push that pin through one of those
19:14holes you have to push it quite hard but that that whole sort of acts as a bit of a guide yeah and
19:19we're going to take one from that side to push it through one from that side and keep alternating
19:23okie doke so and you'll see the paper will naturally want to sort of bend in and sort of allow it you
19:28see at the moment it's bending out wait but now it allow it to bend inwards yeah genuinely would not
19:35have thought that that was as easy as it was that really works very simple isn't it really really simple
19:42and then to finish off a little cotton ball oh yes look that looks really smart I'm gonna do it a
19:51little jaunty I'm gonna do it a little jaunty and slightly to the one side like a very stylish box yes
20:00you know what Sammy that is quite the present isn't it Foxy might look Christmas ready but Sammy's
20:09reindeer still needs some final flourishes pink pom-poms give him some lovely rosy cheeks and no
20:16reindeer is going to be chosen to pull Santa's sleigh without impressive antlers what can I do to help
20:22use so we are going to make some little antlers yes for our reindeer so I've already made one okay
20:27and they are made very simply again one of our templates yes I have then used to cut out of some
20:34cardboard yeah and what we are going to do is we're going to wrap those in some twine okay start from
20:42the bottom if we put a little tiny tiny dot of glue yeah here just so we can glue it down to start yeah
20:50and then you're just going to go round and round and round around until you've got it covered okay
20:54great and then while you're doing that so for our reindeer I thought it'd be really nice to make him
21:01a little woven chest so I have a little rectangle of paper yep and all I have done is cut lines every
21:09sort of half centimeter so you've made your own little loom my own little loom exactly and sort of
21:14left about a centimeter at the top there or half centimeter at the top so that the pieces don't
21:20fall apart and then I've got sort of strips of paper so little bits of gold and bits of magazine
21:26that is really nice red and then we're going to go in and out very simply with the paper I'm just
21:37going to stick down the edges of the last bit of paper that I've woven in and then that will stop
21:43everything from unraveling while Sammy's woven reindeer chest looks effortless I'm getting in a
21:49a tangle with twine oh no oh no oh no who knew that this was the hard bit not entirely sure I've
21:58managed to balls this up so spectacularly but what is a reindeer without his twine antlers luckily star
22:07anise and a hot glue gun hide a multitude of crafting sins Sammy makes two little paper triangle props to
22:13hold up the antlers and it looks like Rudolph will be pulling the sleigh after all the result is
22:19absolutely lovely but actually it's it's the fun of doing this partly and I say you know someone's
22:29gonna see this present and be absolutely delighted that was really good fun let's put it this way you
22:36could have a lot of fun going on playing with this you could know the world's your oyster thank you no
22:42problem pleasure so on to the next step for my Christmas party the food perfect on the big day
22:52and a total treat called unboxing day the ham is a festive all-rounder 15 years ago Phil and I
22:59learned how to cook the perfect traditional ham and being a creature of habit he's very generously
23:09sent me a ham every year since but this year I'm tearing up traditions and delving into the spices and
23:15flavors from one of my favorite parts of the world the Caribbean so I've invited long cook and content
23:21creator Daniel Grant to teach me how to make one of his family festive favorites a sorrel glazed ham so
23:28this is basically like a traditional way we do it in Barbados right but also with like a English
23:33twist to it as well okie doke I cannot wait I like everything everything to have a bit more spice yeah
23:39with the ham already boiled for a couple of hours in an infusion of cloves spring onions and thyme we are
23:45ready to get seasoning and like many great recipes we are starting with garlic and ginger what makes this
23:52step out as a Bajan ham as opposed to from anywhere else I think it's the sorrel right okay so adds that
24:01the different flavor okie doke you wouldn't normally get in a traditional like British ham and yeah pairing
24:07it with all the other seasonings just brings out the the sorrel flavors even more sorrel flowers are a
24:13must-have ingredient in cooking across the Caribbean at Christmas time with their unique tangy flavor they are
24:20known for their health benefits and can be bought online a lot of Bajan food has nutmeg cinnamon all
24:27spice yeah these are like the staples in most dishes scotch bonnet as well so that's quite a
24:33large scotch bonnet and what do you reckon you've gone 40% on that yep yeah I say about 40% and I've
24:39taken any seeds that are in there just in case heat level maximized next we're upping the Christmas
24:45ante with the dry spices so what's in here we've got some cinnamon yeah nutmeg some all-spice a little
24:53bit of brown sugar yeah some all-purpose seasoning and some onion granules as well then add olive oil
24:59dark soy sauce spiced rum and slowly pour in the orange juice to complete the flavors that is so good
25:07pierce the ham with a sharp knife and then Daniel has a clever trick up his sleeve place the ham into a
25:14freezer bag pour in the marinade and it's time to mush mess free and guarantees that the flavor will melt
25:22into the meat am I mushing right yeah that's perfect and then that's gonna seep in all those holes you've
25:29pierced for extra flavor this can be done the night before and kept in the fridge once you've mushed place
25:36into a baking tray score lines across the skin and add clothes for a festive flourish into the oven at 170
25:44degrees cooking time will depend on the size of your ham and while the ham is cooking we're preparing
25:51Daniel's special sorrel glaze put one whole chopped orange into a bowl with the zest and juice of another
25:58how much ginger um probably two thumbs worth of ginger okay finally chopped two cinnamon sticks a cup
26:05of brown sugar eight to ten cloves two tablespoons of honey and then this special ingredient and then
26:12we now we want our sorrel leaves to go in right okay weight wise what would you say this is roughly
26:18around 200 grams 200 grams of sorrel yeah okay okay six cups of water six cups okay
26:28okay that's it yep love it when things aren't so difficult I'm not sure I've ever cooked anything
26:33that looks more Christmassy you're seeing the color from the sorrel it's immediately coming out that that
26:40sauce is going to be the most incredible color simmer for five to ten minutes drain the liquid through a
26:46sieve then add your cup of sugar then back on the stove for another 30 minutes until you have a
26:51lovely thick syrup once the ham is about halfway through cooking it's time to glaze this glaze
26:58looks absolutely amazing those sorrel flowers it's extraordinary the the depth of color there yep that's
27:06perfect is that perfect what we'll do now is when we roast it again yeah we'll base it every say like
27:1110 8 to 10 minutes right okie doke okay just to make sure we've got plenty of glaze on there okay
27:17well they say great things come to those who wait and I'm certain my party guests will agree that
27:21Daniel's beijing ham is worth every minute
27:32I'm all for lessening the load but that's not going to stop me upping the ante on the glitter and
27:38the sparkle and to search for more tree decorating inspiration I've headed to one
27:44of my most beloved London spots behind me on Kenson Church Street is a lacquer chest
27:50it's been around for 66 years it's always been an inspirational shop for me and when
27:57it comes to Christmas their amazing vintage bauble rental collection is second to none so
28:02I'm heading in hello how are you good the shop is looking so Christmassy thank you it really does
28:11look fantastic I'm looking for inspiration so I was going to go and have a look upstairs yes
28:17so here the very top of the shop is where the fabrics and the ribbon and the vintage Christmas
28:26decorations are and my late mother-in-law Gretchen once gave me a box of vintage Christmas decorations
28:34and it was one of the best Christmas presents I ever had can you believe there are decorations in
28:41the collection that are more than 80 years old something particularly special about looking at
28:48something and thinking this has come out year after year after year after year and given real joy and I
28:58want to try and find a way to make something that has a bit of a similar feel to this just with that kind
29:08of extra extra twinkle miss is there such a word as twinkle miss I don't know but if there isn't there
29:15it should be my mind is whirling with ideas and I have just the thing in my kitchen cupboard to
29:22create my version of these incredible vintage tree decorations these are little reusable egg tarts things
29:30and you can buy them online and it they end up about 25 pH I'm using two different sizes of egg tart
29:37molds first off I'm gently pressing back the edges of the larger mold with my hands to make a slightly flatter shape
29:43and then you take an old rubber and a bar out nothing complicated and you
29:51and you
29:51brush through there we are this will be used to hang your finished decoration using ribbon or a sparkly pipe
30:03cleaner then literally I kid you not the world's your oyster you can do anything you want with this you can
30:12just go with one of these or you can put the smaller one inside and you can do it too like that and then
30:20anything you want to put in the center glitter old jewelry look what I've got here is some charity shop
30:27brooches brooches have gone right out of fashion they're ending up in charity shops costing very very
30:33little so I'm going to make this brooch at the center of my design PVA glue at the ready along with all the
30:41glitter and glitz you can find and you're off paint a layer of glue around the outside of the mold then pour
30:49the glitter on and off a few times and it will layer up to create a shimmering edge right now think we are
30:57fully glittered up there so I want to give this depth so I'm also going to put this pipe cleaner there
31:09use the same technique on the smaller mold this time putting glitter around the inside and outside for extra twinkle
31:16there's no getting away from this this is fiddly but worth it
31:21give that a bit of a sprinkle and a shake how are we doing so far there's just something so
31:32transformative about glitter more is more as far as I'm concerned so next I'm cutting around a sparkly
31:40piece of fabric to glue inside now obviously you could use a little bit of lace or a bit of paper or you
31:49know what literally anything if it's just hanging around and it's got any sort of glitter or sparkle to
31:56it use it just when you think you can't add any more bling it's time to add my charity shop brooch now
32:06some of the brooches you might want to take the backs off with pliers I think this one she says
32:15confidently probably over confidently will work if I just put the glue on and bung it in but this might be
32:27famous last words here's a crunch moment
32:35once the glue has dried thread ribbon or a sparkly pipe cleaner for hanging
32:41the thing about these decorations is that really is just the start you can go on adding bits in adding
32:48little other bits of embellishment like with the pipe cleaners other bits of ribbon whatever you want
32:55these wonderful little tin vessels are just the beginning of a joy in creating these kind of bohemian
33:04medallion style christmas decorations my tree is going to be as twinkly as it's ever been
33:14we've got glitter and spice but let's not forget about sugar and all things nice
33:20adam has come up with a fun and super simple air-dried clay bowl to hold the wrapped sweet
33:25treats we all love at christmas so i think it's really fun to make them all different sizes because
33:30if you look at a christmas tree all the baubles are different sizes and i think that makes it feel
33:35very christmassy it gives a lot of visual texture i'm going to start by rolling lots of sausages but
33:40making sure that each sausage has a pointy end who doesn't love a christmas sausage and then time for
33:46the roll then it's clay roll curl repeat next line an ordinary bowl with a paper napkin and get layering
33:54i'm going to completely cover the base of this bowl i want all of these to go point towards one
34:00direction because i want it to feel like a flurry of snowflakes coming across the bowl coiled in
34:06take another handful of clay and flatten using a rolling pin ready to cut with your cookie cutter of
34:12choice and i'm going to use the snowflake for this one so just applying it to the clay and then pushing
34:19down with the snowflakes cut get your pva glue at the ready to secure paint the top side only a little
34:29bit lift it up tuck it away in bed and that means that you're going to get a little peekaboo moment
34:34there more glue over the top and then layer up a smaller circle of clay and gently push down to secure
34:42continue layering up with coils and snowflakes on top
34:45if you push the coil down you get a nice bit of depth going on as well and that gives you a real
34:50visual texture leave to drive for at least an hour then get busy with acrylic paint reds and pinks
34:58with whirls of golds perfect colors for my christmas party i've got lots of sweets and treats so you can
35:06put all the best bits of christmas in there and this is a great way of making something from your heart and
35:12from your hands for a loved one thanks adam i couldn't have said it better myself
35:19the presents are wrapped the decorations hung and with the ham roasting in the oven what i need now
35:25is an overindulgent pudding over the years we've had wreaths of feathers flowers furry friends but when
35:33wreath and pudding combine it's quite the showstopper when award-winning chef ravinda bogle showed me her
35:41edible wreath three years ago i was blown away don't be put off by shoe pastry it's surprisingly
35:47simple i've got water going into this pan yeah and the idea is that you're going to basically melt
35:54butter and um water together bring it to the boil so far so good so far so easy right yeah the idea then
36:03is just to dump in a whole load of flour that sounds like my type of baking once the dough starts
36:09coming away from the side of the pan leave it for 15 minutes to cool or add it to a stand mixer to
36:14release the steam so it cools even faster after a few minutes add your eggs one at a time so let's just
36:21have a look at this isn't it gorgeous look at that texture how glossy and smooth and silky it is the dough
36:29goes into a piping bag ready to create three circles on your baking tray glaze with some egg wash then
36:35it's into the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes then 160 for a further 30 minutes
36:42once it's done leave to cool completely cut the top off and layer up condensed milk caramel and whipped cream
36:51dip the top in chocolate glaze and decorate with seasonal berries
36:55nuts dried fruit and a dusting of icing sugar what a result
37:02it's nearly time to welcome my friends and family so i'm putting the final touches to my christmas table
37:08the only thing that matches is the knives and forks apart from that everything else is just
37:17a mismatch but that's the way it is at christmas perfectly imperfect
37:34it's almost time for our christmas party i'm prone to terrible pre-party jitters but if there's one
37:40thing that's guaranteed to calm the nerves it's a christmas cocktail and i want something spicy to
37:46go with my sorrel glazed ham mixologist joelle roach has come along to shake things up with a fiery
37:53coriander margarita it is the season to be tipsy after all what would you do if you were making a
38:00christmas margarita yeah chillies first chillies
38:05if you muddle it a lot more then you'll get a lot more spice right okay if you do a little bit of
38:12a muddle okay you'll get a little less spice obviously okay so for me i always try to go to
38:16it for a small model and not too much because when it's too spicy you can't change it christmas cocktails
38:22can never be too zingy if you ask me muddling done joel is adding his special ingredient
38:28add the coriander syrup now you always made this coriander yes yeah and this is made from scratch
38:35it's made from scratch two day process yeah but you absolutely passionately believe in it i do you can
38:42buy coriander syrup online or make your own by dissolving equal parts sugar and water over a low
38:47heat add leaves or toasted coriander seeds and strain so then lime juice 25 ml okay and then the triple sec
38:55okay 25 ml so that's the little half triple sec as well by the way no it's not now you're showing
39:02off no i'm being serious it's only triple sec it is and then tequila yep 50 ml do you know why it's tequila
39:09why because you don't get hangover that's what they say i'd love to believe that is true joelle but
39:16experience tells me it's not fill the cocktail shaker to the top with ice and we're ready to shake
39:21right hand yep left hand yep and try and do it away from your face okay okay
39:34ice in the glass sieve at the ready pour and it's time to taste
39:38yeah you see honestly that is so good yeah that is really good that is really good i mean our whole
39:54theme this year is about chilling out at christmas and that is gonna basically
39:59chill you out from the get-go i feel more mellow already
40:08my guests will be arriving soon so paper crafter sammy has offered to show me a way to create a
40:13supersized statement party piece which has the wow factor without breaking the bank
40:20today we are going to make a decorative christmas cracker which you can use as a centerpiece above a
40:25fireplace or you can put it on the wall sammy has created a template consisting of two nonagon ends
40:32that's nine-sided to you and me attached a foam board which you can get in most stationary shops
40:38or online then it's scalpel at the ready we're gonna work around the shape cutting it out so we'll start
40:45on this edge so you always want to cut the outside of the line rather than the inside so that if you make
40:52a mistake you're not cutting into the shape that you're trying to make next make nine rectangles to
40:58create the barrel taper the edges of the rectangles so they can fit together easily and secure with
41:04parcel tape we've got a nice geometric barrel which will form the center structure of our cracker we are
41:13going to make two cracker pulls for either side of that barrel and what i have done is i have prepared
41:20a template you're going to have nine sections which are going to go around that nonagon shape of the
41:26cracker barrel sammy has made a smaller tenth section to add as a tab for attaching line up colored paper
41:33on the template secure with tape and cut with a scalpel the diamonds that we're cutting here when you
41:40have a sort of regular crackers where you'd probably see a bow attached or a piece of ribbon
41:45zigzags cut along the outside edge add a final flourish next bend the diamond shapes inwards at
41:52their center to form the cracker shape then attach both ends with glue it's beginning to look a lot
41:58like a cracker now you need to cut a piece of paper which is going to cover this barrel shape i've got a
42:06rectangle of paper here which i have cut to the right length score nine sections plus one extra for
42:14attaching fold and glue to the barrel next comes my favorite bit the embellishments strips of gold and
42:23pink paper finish off the ends christmas snowflakes 3d stars and flowers and as many sprays of metallic
42:32paper as you like what a showstopper and all from some paper and foam board it's sure to blow the socks off
42:41my party guests party preparations are nearly there but one thing that is missing is finger food
42:50luckily daniel has offered to make his special ackee twists a fresh take on the classic cheese twist
42:57first step process is to cut all of your veg you've got some red peppers with some onions
43:02get them chopped and get everything mixed together
43:04spring onions and garlic come next and my favorite caribbean essential the scotch bonnet chili
43:11we've got some all-purpose seasoning we've got two tablespoons of that we'll add in two teaspoons of
43:16onion powder and two garlic powder more garlic see who doesn't love garlic and finally the star
43:24ingredient ackee it's very key you want to rinse and drain it because it will have like a little after
43:29taste to it if you don't ackee is the national fruit of jamaica and you can buy it tinned from most
43:35supermarkets give it a good mix grab your pre-made puff pastry and roll it out ready to fill don't leave
43:42this out for too long i use it straight from the fridge otherwise it gets too soft and then you can't
43:47fold it over and it gets very messy and fiddly
43:51just fold that pastry over
44:01push that down
44:05might want the filling to come squeezing out of the sides with a little bit as it but
44:10nice and gentle cut into around 12 thumb size strips as you can see that is our twist you're just
44:18twisting it now place down on the board and it's just simple as that and just repeat
44:26space evenly on a buttered baking tray egg wash and into the oven at 190 degrees for 15 minutes
44:34perfectly puffed ackee twists i can't wait to try one
44:40it might sound bold but i think i'm almost ready to throw open the doors
44:43for my christmas celebrations just a few last minute touches the joy
44:51is in making it festive not perfect just festive it's all about who you have not what you have
45:03and thanks to all my amazing crafters i have a flurry of new decorations with more sensational
45:08sparkle than you can shake a candy cane at there's just something so transformative about glitter
45:16couscous looks completely at home on the tree next to a better me
45:22sammy's show-stopping cracker has pride of place on the sideboard
45:27and adam's air-dried clay bowls really do hold the best bits of christmas
45:31and to top it all off i have daniel's scrumptious ham and his ackee twists
45:37did you make these oh my god they smell amazing plus joelle's spicy coriander margaretas to go with
45:44them without everybody chipping in and sharing the things they love to do at christmas this party
45:51wouldn't be possible and i'm so pleased they're all here to share the joy remember father christmas
45:58doesn't do it all by himself he has a whole team so share the load delight in delegating craft when
46:04you can and call in the elves when you need to it's about connection not perfection being with those you
46:12that you love at a really magical time of the year
46:31so
46:33so
46:44you
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