Ideas

This has been a tough year. I don’t think I need to say much more than that. We all know… But then, mercifully, every year has a silver lining at the end. Some people prefer it gold, others red, but that lining is the Christmas season. And this year

'Every house should have a cabinet of curiosities,’ says Otto de Jager, stroking an old leather wallet embossed with his initials that belonged to his father and grandfather. Stocked with family photographs, scented candles and old ribbon, the cabine

This setting is all about the layering of textures and neutral tones. It’s relaxed and weather-beaten but most of all it’s about family having a feast and sharing food with a few good stories on the side. Use interesting seed pods, twigs, leaves and

COCOFEATURES.COM Dutch couple Ineke and Erik Koorn know just how to bring out the best in a house, even if they don’t live there. Which is probably why they first had a Scandinavian furniture business and these days are the owners of a company called

We used black and white as our main colours, enhancing them with touches of gold and blush pink. To make our candles and Christmas decorations the focal point of the table, we simply placed everything in a plank with holes and positioned it in the ce

♥ 2 x 395g cans of sweetened condensed milk Preheat the oven to 220°C. To make the dulce de leche, pour the condensed milk into a 1,5 litre-capacity baking dish and press a sheet of non-stick baking paper on top. Cover the dish tightly with aluminium

The whole family can help with making these easy but lovely decorations (see also page 58). When all your table decorations are ready and you have your candles, you can have a wooden plank cut to fit the entire length of your table, or shorter if you

Instead of the traditional roast meal, try this spread of different dishes that can be served together and enjoyed as a relaxed mix-and-match meal. Ask your guests or family members to each prepare two or three of the dishes and bring them along so t

♥ Christmas wish circles on the facing page ♥ tea lights ♥ craft scissors ♥ punch or toothpick 1 Copy the Christmas wish circles on the facing page in the desired size onto plain white computer paper and cut out. Punch a hole with a punch or toothpic

Spoil your loved ones and fill their crackers with treats you have specially selected. Sweets are obviously always welcome too! * Boys: Plastic animals, marbles, small building blocks. * Girls: Jigsaw puzzles, play make-up, playing cards. * Teens: Ai

Repeat just one or two elements and you will have a subtle Christmas theme. Here it’s the gingerbread biscuits and stars in the tree, and the repetition of touches of red in the decorations, the ribbons and even the cushion and throw on the chair. No

♥ gingerbread dough (see page 110) ♥ paper templates ♥ sharp knife ♥ ruler ♥ 2 x batches royal icing (see page 110) ♥ piping bag ♥ nr 1 small round nozzle (optional) ♥ large petal nozzle 1 Cut your template out of baking paper. 2 Roll a third of the

Serves: 6 ♥ 750 ml apple juice♥ 2 clementines♥ 2-4cm fresh ginger (how much depends on how strong you would like it)♥ 2 cinnamon sticks♥ 5ml honey Pour the apple juice into a pot and warm it up over a medium heat. Cut the clementines and ginger into