What will be on your dinner table this Christmas? Will it be meat, vegetarian, vegan or raw. In the Daisy Green team there will be at least one person sitting down to each of these categories.
   
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat;
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!  

The words in this rhyme were to associate the Christmas feast with geese which were traditional British Christmas fayre. The meaning that was conveyed to children was that the festive period was where each should give to charity, according to their means, even if they could only give their blessing. This is such a lovely sentiment and often forgotten at Christmas time and in fact all year through.  

Today goose no longer features highly on today’s Christmas dinner table, but an abundance of other food does. As Christmas is such a busy time you may not have time to think about the origins and ethics behind the food you put on your table. But if you, like the Daisy Green team, belong to the growing number of people who are concerned about the quality and origins of food, there is no reason why we all can’t choose, with a little thought, to serve up organic, local and seasonal alternatives.  

A large scale study has found that food grown organically is better for you then food grown using conventional intensive farming methods.  The Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) study which lasted four years, was funded by the European Union at a cost of approximately £12m. Researchers led by a team at Newcastle University found that organic foods were much higher in antioxidants and lower in so called ‘bad fats’.  With this in mind, a more positive approach to your Christmas lunch can be embraced.

For your starter, think about sourcing your products locally and ensure that any fruit and vegetable that you choose is in season. Seasonal soups make a good, economical choice and with Britain boasting around 550 farmers markets being held on a regular basis equating to approximately 9,500 market days per year, finding local organic ingredients has never been easier.

For meat-eaters, turkey is still the most popular meat for main course on Christmas Day. This has led to mass production. Meat, including poultry that is reared non-organically, is often subject to regular injections of antibiotics and other chemicals to boost their size unnaturally. These concoctions remain in the meat once the animal has been slaughtered and prepared for consumption.

In general, animals reared organically are given a healthier life, and treated much more humanely. If you want to ensure that your bird enjoyed its life as much as you enjoy its taste, ensure you buy an organic bird which will have had a stress free life, plenty of exercise and good food to help it grow naturally and give it muscle tone. This all leads to a better taste. There are free-range poultry choices too, such as duck and goose, or you could choose organic beef, lamb or pork if you want some variety.  

There is an ever increasing need for meat alternatives for vegetarians and vegans. There are plenty of turkey alternatives that even carnivores will love. The retro image of nut roast often turns people off the idea of making it, but it can be extremely tasty when made with organic walnuts, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, almonds and cashews. Accompany it with traditional veg, just ensure you roast potatoes and parsnips in vegetable oil and make vegetarian gravy.  

Getting your five a day is easy with your Christmas lunch as vegetables including potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbages and root vegetables are plentiful at this time of year. Brussels sprouts get a raw deal but cooked properly they produce a really lovely flavour not found in other vegetables. Try and stay away from serving boiled vegetables and consider having some raw or braised including cabbage and fennel. When cooking your roast potatoes cut slits on top then roast in organic olive oil with some basil and rosemary.   Choosing organic over non-organic vegetables means you will be avoiding over 300 chemical pesticides.

Stuffing and sauces can be from traditional, local ingredients. Apple sauce is good with all meat and poultry, and can be made from locally grown fruit. Stuffing which I absolutely love especially when its my own chestnut and sage is always a fantastic accompaniment to a meal. Gravy, an absolute must, can be homemade from meat juices or an alternative vegetarian gravy.  

The course of pudding will always be expected even if your guests are full to the brim. Make a moist, rich pudding in advance and serve your guests with the best organic flour and breadcrumbs, organic butter, Fairtrade sugar and free-range eggs.

If you are still wanting for more, follow pudding with some local organic cheeses, serving them with fresh crackers and bread not forgetting the organic butter.  

To round off your meal serve Fair trade tea, coffee and a selection of organic wines.

Tummy satisfied! Whatever you have for your Christmas meal we hope you enjoy it.  

Over the next three weeks we hope you enjoy all the seasonal recipes that will be published on Daisy Green Magazine in the lead up to Christmas. If you have any lovely recipes that are tried and tested and you would like us to feature please get in touch.