Fun and frolics cooking up festive fare

Mini master chefs can get busy in the kitchen to whip up some sizzling seasonal delights, writes Vickie Chan.

Cooking is a fun and interactive way of spending time with your children while they’re off school – but since Christmas Day can be quite busy, why not try some recipes for things that will last a few days? This will keep the children satiated, and the kitchen clear, on the 25th!

Christmas is a special time for most families because, whether or not you celebrate religiously, it’s a time away from work and school, when everyone gets together for several days. For many, it’s a time when family traditions are created, remembered and practiced, with food playing an important role.

Growing up, we always spent our Christmas at home in Britain, which meant log fires, a 10-foot tree and guests being invited to join us for a festive dinner. Sometimes, it also meant snowmen and sledging.

It was left to my older siblings and me to decorate the centrepiece of our dining room table and keep it as a special surprise for guests, who were not allowed to enter until dinner. A Bavarian tradition passed down by my mother’s grandmother, the scenes always wowed guests: foil lakes and cotton wool snowdrifts on coloured crepe paper, giving way to miniature tableaux of small ornaments – including some from my mother’s childhood – such as small china dogs and rabbits, Dutch windmills, flapping geese, decorative candles and our customary angel chimes, without whose tinging, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Nowadays, my Christmases are mostly spent in Hong Kong. But I still make some traditional Christmas treats, to stir up childhood memories and share with friends. Christmas in Hong Kong can be strange for expats. But cooking will always make you feel festive. After all, the traditions and memories of your childhood Christmases will always stay with you!