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Food
Let's be honest, when most people hear Christmas, they think of the copious amounts of Christmas food they plan to consume over the season. Now, with many of us unable to join our families who may have been in charge of purchasing the food, we've got to suddenly come up with a suitable Christmas lunch for maybe just one or two people!
Don't panic, you've got this! We're sure that you'll all come up with your own ideas, but just to help you along, this is what we're planning for our make-shift Christmas meal-for-two:
Stuffed Munchkin Pumpkin - stuffed with sage, onion, breadcrumbs, mushrooms, cranberries, roasted hazelnuts and grated courgette (after taking the seeds out) - whole roasted for 40 minutes - this is the perfect size for two people, and the munchkin pumpkin could easily be swapped out for a butternut squash or even a whole pepper each!
Roast Potatoes
Sugar Glazed Carrots
Parsnip Puree
Brussel Sprouts
Gravy (obvs!)
Of course we also need snacks, which fortunately still seem to be in high supply in supermarkets! However, if you aren't looking to leave the house, why not make your own Gingerbread or Mince Pies? Not only will it fill time, but it'll also fill your home with festive smells and bellies with festive food!
Drink
With many of us not being able to travel this Christmas, it makes room for those of us who usually run the family taxi service to really relax and have a little tipple!
We've got a few Christmas Cocktail ideas for you to try at home, just to get you started:
Mince Pie Cocktail
2 Shots Gin
3 Shots Apple Juice
1/2 Shot Hibiscus Syrup
Cinnamon Stick
Squeeze of Orange Juice
Serve shaken over ice!
The Goupie Cocktail
2 Shots Besos de Chocolaté
2tsp Drinking Chocolate
200ml Oatly Barista Edition
+ a flavouring of your choice (vanilla, mint, cinnamon, etc)
Serve hot or cold!
Toffee Apple Sunrise (non-alcoholic)
Frost rim of High Ball glass with ground cinnamon
Fill glass with ice
Add 15ml of Caramel Syrup
Add 60ml of Apple Juice
Top up with Ginger Beer
Garnish with two slices of apple, a cinnamon stick & SST Goupie on cocktail stick + straw
Of course, there's also the obvious mulled option which can include wine, apple juice, cider or ribena! Simply slowly heat your beverage of choice over a low heat and add cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and a little nutmeg and leave for 20 mins - delicious!
Last, but not least, Goupie is all about chocolate, and so we’ve got a devilishly decadent festive hot chocolate to get you in the Christmas spirit. It’s super simple to make at home and completely naughty! To help you out, we’ve added our top tips for making this indulgent treat completely vegan friendly so no one has to miss out!
What You Need
Goupie’s 55% Orange Hot Chocolate
Oat Milk
Ground Cinnamon
Mini Marshmallows
Squirty Cream
What You Do
- Heat 200ml of oat milk in a pan on a low/medium heat.
- Stirring continuously, add 30g of Goupie’s 55% Orange Hot Chocolate Mix and ¼tsp ground cinnamon.
- Once the mixture is completely combined, pour into your best mug.
- Squirt your cream starting at the edge of the mug and working inwards in a spiral (this obviously won’t affect the flavour, but will help your Instagram pics look on point!).
- Dust a little cinnamon on top of your cream and add as many mini marshmallows as you can fit on top!
- Enjoy! Dunking a biscuit is highly recommended…
Top Vegan Buying Tips
Goupie’s 55% Orange Hot Chocolate à available at the Goupie Chocolate House or at goupiechocolate.com
Oat Milk à available at most supermarkets. We recommend looking for Oatly Barrista or Minor Figures for the creamiest flavour
Mini Marshmallows à available at the Goupie Chocolate House or look for Freedom Mallows in Holland & Barrett
Squirty Cream à we recommend Food Heaven Heavenly Whipped available in Tesco, Morrisons or Asda
Ground Cinnamon à available at all supermarkets
Setting The Scene
Ok, so we're sorted on the food and drink front, but now we've got to really get ourselves in the Christmas spirit! For many of us who were planning on going to family houses for Christmas, we haven't really worried about decorating our own houses, but now that we're staying in - it's time to make an effort!
There are loads of easy ways we can make our homes festive this year, starting with a Christmas soundtrack! Goupie's got you covered there with our Winter Warmer Playlist, whack that on straight away!
Whilst that's playing away in the background, fire up your TV and get a Netflix (or YouTube if you prefer) fire on the go. This will instantly get you feeling cozier!
Now you can start on your decorations. Snowflakes are the obviously easy decoration that everyone can make at home and are highly effective. You can also check out our blog for other Christmas decoration ideas that you can make out of your own recycling 'waste'! Last but not least, stockings! Perhaps your stockings aren't kept at home, but rather the 'family home'. Well us Simpsons have always been a fan of hanging up pillow cases anyway! They fit more in them and work just as well...
Lastly, the Christmas table. You may have seen our previous post amount making your own Christmas Crackers, which may be a necessity if the shops are shut! You can also add some fairly lights (perhaps in an empty vase) and Christmas confetti (make mini snowflakes from paper) to the table just to make it feel a bit special! Go bigger if you can, collecting holly and pinecones from local parks...
Entertainment
The biggest part of Christmas is the family getting together, and sadly, many of us won't be able to physically be near our loved ones this year. That doesn't mean we can't still get together, technology is fantastic!
Set up a video call with your family. If you're eating alone, collaborate so that you can all eat at the same time! You can also set up some festive activities to replicate that family board game! We recommend a festive murder mystery to really get everyone involved, but you could also all come up with a quiz round worth 10 points each so that everyone has equal involvement...
Another idea is setting up 5 challenges for every household to complete within an hour time-slot each. For example, one challenge could be to replicate a scene from your favourite Christmas movie, and another could be to create the best Christmas decoration out of your recycling waste. This will give everyone plenty to be keeping them busy between calls and loads of family fun to enjoy watching back. Don't forget to record your Zoom calls!
Of course, a festive film is a must on Christmas. Our Instagram advent calendar has got you sorted on that front, with 24 different ideas. Why not co-ordinate with your family so that you can all be watching at the same time?
If you are lucky enough to have a companion this Christmas, but don't have any board games to play, why not make your own backgammon set? There a loads of other games you can replicate too, but this is our personal favourite!
We hope this little list has given you hope for this Christmas season. Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe!