If you’re after some last minute inspiration for your festive tables here are a few of our favourite entertaining and edible gift ideas from our recipe archives and Eat your history book.
We wish you a peaceful, restful and enjoyable festive break and look forward to a food-filled year ahead.
Click on the underlined titles to take you to each recipe page.
Jelly filled oranges
A whimsical treat for a hot summers day and a fun activity for the kids over the holidays. Rise to the challenge of multiple layering, colour by colour or make life simple by filling each oranges with a different colour and shuffle them up on the plate.
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Jelly-filled oranges. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Christmas rum balls
A nod to our rum-fueled convict heritage, rum balls are always handy to serve after a meal or package up for gifts. Substitute with brandy or hazelnut liqueur if preferred.
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Christmas rum balls. Photo © Jacqui Newling
Cheese Darlings
Perfect to serve with drinks or as a pre-dinner appetiser these savoury biscuits have the added benefit of being gluten free. Bundle them up in cellophane for a friendly gift.
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‘Cheese darlings’ from Mrs Maclurcan’s Cookery Book, 1905. Photo © Jacqui Newling
Devilled bones
A welcome alternative to the ubiquitous and sticky-sweet honey-soy chicken, ‘devils’ have been popular since the seventeenth century with the combination of mustard, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and cayenne. You can amp up the heat with more chilli.
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‘Devilled bones’ a la Alexis Soyer, c1850. Photo James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Orange muscatel salad
A delicious, simple and cooling accompaniment for the Christmas turkey.
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Orange muscatel salad, from Emma Rouse’s Mrs Beeton’s book of household management, 1863 Rouse Hill House & Farm collection. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Raspberry vinegar ‘shrub’
The original ‘pink lemonade’, raspberry vinegar cordial makes a great fruit punch or shrub base.
Mrs Maclurcan’s wholesome summer barley water
Simple to make with a taste of yesteryear, this citrus barley water is perfect summertime refresher.
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Raspberry vinegar ‘shrub’ and other summer refreshers. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Fragrant peach jam
With an abundance of peaches in season, jam is a delicious way to extend the taste of summer. For more savoury palates, peaches also make a delicious chutney to serve with ham.
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Summer blushed peaches. Photo © Scott Hill for Sydney Living Museums
Christmas plum pudding and Mrs Beeton’s wicked plum pudding sauce
It’s not too late to boil up a traditional pudding – historical evidence tells us it was common to make the pudding on Christmas Day itself.
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Mrs Beeton’s Christmas plum pudding and sauce. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums