I think the inner blogger in me will always love the finer details. I absolutely love Christmas, I love spending time with family and friends and loved ones, and I love choosing gifts for people whilst also shopping for myself but one thing that I really do enjoy, is planning out the finer details. How I'm going to dress the table, which canapes/appetizers I can use which will be ridiculously tasty (but also very photogenic, obvs...) and finally, the cocktail concoction that everybody needs to enjoy.
No pressure then...
So I thought this would be a fun post to put together for you to give you a little inspiration - in case you're lacking in it amidst your Mince Pie and Mulled wine coma ;) - and when Freixenet got in touch to ask if I wanted to work with them to produce these ideas for their blog, I
of course jumped at the chance. So for full recipe/instructions, check out that post
here.
But as this was so much fun to put together, I wanted to feature it here too. So with my requirements in hand, it was off to Pinterest (and subsequently Primark, Tiger, H&M home, Anthropology and all the amazing home stores) to start decorating my Christmas table setting.
The Table setting
As you can see, I opted for a Silver and White theme which I absolutely loved and think it turned out quite minimalistic, simple and clean. I saw some absolutely stunning, quite elaborate designs on Pinterest, but some just aren't realistic. I wanted to create something that was super simple to recreate and that's exactly what this is. I started off with a plain white tablecloth - yep, wasn't joking when I said it was simple, was I? - and found this gorgeous shimmering silver runner, the white napkins, the napkin rings, the silver charger plates and the actual plates themselves from Tesco. All of which were so affordable and such great quality.
FYI: I'm not sponsored by Tesco, just a bit of a fan girl!
I then focused on some of the finer details; I love the idea of name place cards and found these gorgeous bauble style ones from Tiger which worked perfectly for the theme. I also then lost my shit went slightly crazy in Tiger and picked up the champagne doilies and tea lights there too, as well as all the copper things for my bedroom. Of course...
The candelabra, cutlery and glasses were all wedding presents for my parents over 29 years ago - I know, if that doesn't make you feel old... - and I absolutely love mixing those sentimental pieces with the modern, new purchases.
I finished it off with an ethereal, leafy centrepiece from a Christmas shop in Bluewater which was pretty much the place that Christmas dreams are made of!
The Canapes
Now, I have to be totally honest in that Christmas canapes - or just canapes in general - typically aren't gluten free friendly. Pastries, tarts, blini's... you name it, those suckers are full of gluten. So I came up with a, let's be totally honest, completely basic recipe for a canape that was naturally gluten free. Because whilst I know that some stores stock gluten free pastry, I also understand that it's not accessible for everybody, so here is my very basic - but ridiculously tasty and festive looking - recipe.
Ingredients
- Beefsteak tomatoes
- Mozzarella
- Basil
- Red sundried tomato pesto
- Salt and Pepper
- Extra Virgin olive oil
Method
- Slice the tomatoes into 1cm slithers
- Slice the mozzarella and lay on top of tomatoes
- Add the basil and season with Salt and Pepper
- Top with Sundried tomato pesto
- Finish with a drizzle of Olive oil
- Roast in an oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes
The Drinks
We all know that things get more than just a little boozy around the festive period and of course, choosing the perfect beverage that everyone will love is extremely important. My personal favourites? The Freixenet Cordon Rosado (a beautifully fresh and fruity bubbly rose) and the Freixenet Cordon negro (a crisp and clean cava), both of which are stunning on their own, but also work fab in cocktails. Here's a little recipe for a preeeetty cracking cocktail (if I do say so myself) that I came up with recently and love!
Ingredients
- Freixenet Cordon Negro
- Soda water
- Peach Liqueur
- Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar
Method
- Pour the Cava into a cocktail shaker
- Add the soda water
- Slowly pour in the Peach Liqueur
- Add in the brown sugar for a touch of sweetness
- Finally, add a sprinkling of Cinnamon for that extra Christmassy touch
So that brings me to the end of my Christmas table setting/canape/cocktail/"oh my god guys this Cava is amazing, you need to try it" post. I had so much fun putting this together because let's face it, I pretty much had a very early Christmas day (just minus the presents, tonne of quality street, 10 cheese boards and watching Elf 50billion times over).
I would love to know what you have planned for Christmas? What's your favourite Christmas drink, and have you ever tried Freixenet before? Let me know your thoughts :)
As always, thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post!
xx
Post in collaboration with Freixenet but love of mozzarella, pinterest-worthy table settings and all the alcohol, my own.
Labels: Christmas, diy, Lifestyle, Pinterest
