What are your foodie pet hates at Christmas?

By Jess Sutton

Christmas is a time of goodwill, joy and happiness. For the most part, we enjoy every moment of it. But sometimes we simply can’t fathom why people eat, for example, bread sauce. Or Christmas cake. Or trifle.

In fact, according to some of the delicious. staff, these things ruin a day that’s supposed to be full of joy. Read on to discover our 101 list of pet hates, dislikes and all-round disgust. What are yours? Head over to Twitter to tell us.

(And because it’s all a matter of taste, we’ve helpfully put in links to recipes anyway.)

Karen Barnes – editor: Mine goes back to primary school where we were made to eat everything before we left the table. The food was appalling and top of my hate list was soggy-sponge trifle with rubber jelly with tinned fruit it in, rubber custard with the consistency of cold fat, fake cream topping and a sprinkling of hundreds and thousands on top. I used to smuggle it out in a plastic bag in my pocket to throw away later – only once I forgot and found it in the glove compartment of our family car a few weeks later, completely mouldy. As a grown–up I can’t stand sponge soaked with sherry or the lack of texture in trifle – it’s all gloop. But I realise I’m an anomaly and that most people love it. I have to say, too, that Lucas Hollweg’s trifle in our December issue is the trifle that almost converted me….

Be untempted by our trifle recipes.

Les Dunn – chief sub editor

Dates. Sticky yet mealy, shiny yet dull in the mouth, like something that’s gone off. And that annoying thin stone in the middle. Why do we bother with them? Does anyone actually like them?

Better in a Sticky ginger, date and walnut pudding, maybe, Les?

Vic Grimshaw – digital editor

Bread sauce. It’s from the Devil’s hamper. I cannot fathom how, or why, anyone can eat this stuff. It’s gloopy. It’s gluey. It’s gross. Please, just give me the original slice of bread, slathered with some fabulously salted butter instead.

Susan Low – deputy editor

Overcooked brussels sprouts. I know this is hardly original as a pet hate but there really is no need to turn brassica-boiling into a three-day-event that reduces these pert orbs to a sad, soggy, sludgy grey-green mass that’s offensive to nose and palate. Sprouts deserve better treatment – roasting or charring, for example, or cooking with lots of cheese, cream and bacon and treated to a duvet of golden melting cheese…

Unlucky for Susan, we have over 70 brussels sprouts recipes to browse.

Hugh Thompson – Deputy sub editor

Christmas cake. By the time it comes round to this I’ve had enough of poor quality, gritty dried fruit. The icing has hardened to something akin to Kevlar over a yellow sugar covering that tastes like arsenic (no, really) concealing dry crumbly leftovers from the medieval ages. Obviously it’s not from a delicious. magazine recipe…

 

 

Martine Tinney – art editor

A Christmas food …I love the turkey, brussels sprouts and all the trimmings but hate all the festive sweet bakes. Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas cake  …all that rich spiced fruit just doesn’t do it for me. I’ll always have chocolate mousse or chocolate ice- cream as my dessert on Christmas day. Leave the rest for Santa Claus and Rudolph.

Look away now, Martine.

Jen Bedlow – acting food editor

Brandy butter: I just don’t get it. Why would anyone want to eat sweetened butter with mince pies and Christmas pud. I’d much rather have brandy sauce or ice cream! I’ll be keeping my butter salted to slather on sourdough.

Sara Norman 

I really hate cracking nuts at Christmas, they invariably splinter, are really fiddly to pick out of the shells (especially walnuts) and on the whole are a complete faff. Give me ready-shelled nuts any day and keep the whole ones for decoration only!

But could you be converted by some honey-roast nuts, Sara?

Julia Rich – marketing director

Cranberry sauce – I don’t understand the combination with turkey. Gravy and more gravy please!

Lottie Covell – acting food lifestyle editor

It’s panettone for me… I don’t get when you are meant to eat it… breakfast? Definitely sticking firmly to my Christmas pudding and cake.

Breakfast, lunch AND tea, Lottie.

Ellie Donnell – Digital intern

I hate it when Christmas is warm and by warm I mean anything above 5 degrees! I want it to be freezing cold (snowing is a plus!) so that we can have a roaring fire in the afternoon whilst we all open our presents.

Here’s some Oreo smores to eat on your sofa, Ellie.

And, Happy Christmas, whatever your taste!