Darina Allen's favourite festive treats

CAN you imagine I got my first Christmas card on the third of November, that has to be a record. 

Christmas is creeping up on us, not slowly but with great speed and even though we may long to opt out of the whole palaver or hide away until all the frenzy is over, it’s simply not an option, so once again, we’ll enter into the spirit of the season wholeheartedly.

If you’re thinking of serving a fine free range turkey or goose for Christmas dinner, put in your order right away. Beautifully reared organic and free range birds are difficult to source for various reasons not least the lack of slaughtering facilities and support for artisan poultry producers — can you imagine that we don’t have one single poultry instructor in Ireland at present despite the craving for a product with a memorable flavour we can trust.