U is for Unutterable Urges

I awoke on Christmas Day and thought I'd like a sausage sizzle for lunch.  Then I remembered we had copious amounts of ham and turkey to consume.  As reported previously, we had ham, turkey and waldorf salad which, just, falls within the limits of Christmas lunch decorum.  But I have asked myself, in the spirit of Christmas, what would I really like to eat?  So, in the spirit of the Spice Girls, let me tell you what I want, what I really really want.

And the answer is sandwiches.  I have always appreciated a good sandwich.  And even a not so good sandwich like the soggy tomato ones, the soggy tuna ones and the sloppy scrambled egg ones Mum lovingly made us for school lunches.  Ham, mustard and Turkish bread can't be beat on Boxing Day.

And nor can turkey, lettuce and cranberry sauce the day after.  When I worked at Mildura Base Hospital, I usually had a turkey, lettuce, cranberry wrap for lunch, so there is a reminiscence factor.  Although the wraps there were often as soggy as school sandwiches.  While I'm lost in reverie, let me tell you about some sandwiches at my Grandfather's work Christmas Party for the Children in England.  There I was introduced to marmite and crisp sandwiches which are very nice and definitely not soggy.  Salty maybe.  Somewhere along the line I've also had vegemite and walnut, which I highly recommend.  Some crisp lettuce may also be added.

So that you don't think me a total philistine, I whipped up Maggie Beer's chestnut cake as a sort of substitute for Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake.  It has no sugar apart from currants, and is rather sentimental when ingredients include olive oil given by Pearl, and verjuice given by Jools.  The only other ingredients are chestnut flour, pine nuts, orange zest and water.  As you can imagine it is a rather dense cake.  Maggie Beer says Italians eat it with a coffee, and that it should be served doused with Strega or mascarpone.  I used both for good measure.  I absolutely love it.

To celebrate the coincidence of us both choosing grapefruit marmalade for Christmas breakfast, Her Majesty sent me the photo above.  Very nice.

And here's mine.  Uber nice!!!