Our 5 must haves on Christmas Day!

We all have our must haves for the Christmas Day but here are 5 of our must haves to make your festive feast even more fabulous! 

Habanero Steve’s Crackin’ Christmas Cranberry

Cranberries are not just for Christmas!  I buy this in bulk... can’t get enough of it! It’s a chilli jam with cranberries made in Bangor. It adds that sumthin' sumthin' to your ham and turkey. I’ve always made my own cranberry sauce but once you try this you won’t go back. Stick it on your Brussels Sprouts, throw it in a Boxing Day Sandwich, smother your sausage rolls... you get the drift!

Available from Habanero Steve's, The Guillemot Deli, The Artisan Cheesemonger and Indie Füde.

Man Made Mince Pies 

I am seriously obsessed with these mince pies.  Forget the Coke lorry, once these bad boys are ‘released’, a bit like the Maven Cosy Candle (a must have!), I know Christmas is really coming... Dan is the mince pie magician here as he uses fresh Armagh Bramley Apples and they are perfect. There’s no point in even trying to make your own star topped ones unless you eat a huge number of mince pies, then it would indeed be prudent to do that! He doesn’t sell direct to the public but you will find these pies to buy at Mike's Fancy Cheese, General Merchants, Joxer and Haptik to name a few spots.   

Young Buck

Is it even Christmas without 36% of your body being made up of cheese?  I didn’t think so, so there’s no way I am having a Christmas Cheeseboard without Young Buck.  It’s been around as long as the Belfast Food Tour has been running and every guest (bar a few hard core no changing their minds blue cheese haters) have thoroughly enjoyed it over the years.  Even those that thought they didn’t like blue cheese have devoured it.  You cannot fail to love this! It’s creamy but tangy and hailing from Newtownards, it’s a win win for loving local. 

Grab it, and more, at its ancestral home at Mike's Fancy Cheese Shop or at all good delis including Arcadia and Indie Füde in Belfast, Artisan Cheesemonger in Holywood, Ispini in Moira and Maegden in Bushmills.

Ewing's Organic Smoked Salmon 

My Christmas breakfast has always been smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with lashings of dill.  You cannot tempt me with your Eggs Benedict or an Ulster Fry. The smoked salmon has to be Ewing's.  It never fails, it feels a little bit treatsy but really it should be a fridge staple.  Ewing's have been smoking fish in Belfast for over 100 years so they know what they are at.  If you don’t want it with your eggs, put it in your bagel with capers and cream cheese or create a Christmas canapé with wheaten bread and pickled beetroot. Yum!

Available from Ewing's themselves as well as all good delis and even Sainsbury's.

Abernethy Christmas Butter

They have given us so much already with their range of incredible butters and yet Allison and Will Abernethy keep coming up with more!!  Again another stalwart on our tours, we adore Abernethy Butter so drum roll please…………..  Abernethy Christmas Butter… Nuff said! Now, I must say that I do have a penchant for kilos of homemade boozy brandy butter, but that really isn’t cricket on your pancakes... so this more subtle little number is the perfect accompaniment to your fruit loaf, mince pies (see above) or even on toast!  Who doesn’t want a little rum with their toast in the morning!

What’s your Christmas must have?  Let us know below...

Have a wonderful Christmas and see you in the New Year! 

Words by Caroline.