Build A Christmas Hamper With The Efra Committee MPs
Illustration by Tracy Worrall
5 min read
Who better to build a Christmas hamper than the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee? Settle down with spiced rum, cured mutton soup, smoked eel paté, some vegan chocolate and an onion for a memorable festive meal
Alistair Carmichael
EFRA Committee chair, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland
Reestit mutton soup is the ideal dish to bring you back to life after a “bracing” Boxing Day walk along a Northern Isles beach.
Reestit mutton is brine-cured mutton (actually a hog lamb these days) which is then dried to cure it. It is a traditional Shetland preserving method to keep meat over the winter months. The meat, which has a strong salty flavour, is boiled to make a stock with which you then make a soup with potatoes, swede, carrots and onions. Personally, I like the soup of a consistency that will allow the spoon to stand unassisted and to have small pieces of the mutton in the soup.
The soup is not one for Christmas Day – it is a meal in itself. So, rather than Spanish jamón, this year why not look north for your seasonal cured meat? I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Sarah Dyke
Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton
Cheddar cheese has been produced in Somerset since at least the 12th century, and was a particular favourite of King Henry II, who purchased over 10,000lbs of the cheese at a farthing a pound.
It is still produced using milk from the Somerset levels and is probably the most internationally recognised cheese. Complement it with a glass of mulled Somerset cider by the fire for a perfect combination at Christmastime.
Or, for something a little different, try some smoked eel paté – the delicious rich flavour is like no other smoked fish. But please only choose sustainably sourced eels that will help fund conservation efforts.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter
Labour MP for Suffolk Coastal
There is a great local turkey farmer in my patch, a brilliant small family farm, run by Chris and Judith Mobbs. They do everything on site, including processing and packaging – it is authentically from field to fork.
After dinner, pitch for a plate of cheese including the wonderful smoked cheese from incredible local producer, The Artisan Smokehouse.
And beer, of course, from Adnams. Has to be Ghost Ship, though some might indulge in the lesser-known Adnams whisky.
Henry Tufnell
Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire
Christmas Eve starts with sausage rolls. No frills, just flaky pastry and nostalgia. Then comes Christmas Day, and here’s my big moment: the turkey from Cuckoo Mill goes straight on the barbecue! It’s my excuse to stand outside, tongs in hand, pretending I’m a culinary genius while everyone else handles the real work indoors. We round it off with seasonal veg from the Peninsula Food Market, because nothing beats fresh, local produce. It’s simple and it’s delicious.
Sarah Bool
Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire
Some 88 per cent of South Northamptonshire comprises agricultural land, so there can be no shortage of food supplies that can be credited to our fine area. However, I would like to single out two particular items to be selected for your Christmas table: bread and gin. Our arable land and a fine family mill in the north of the constituency provide the basis for your bread sauce – the finishing flourish and a nod to our medieval ancestors.
As a fine accompaniment, sample some of our artisan premium spirits. Gin production is flourishing across the constituency; we have some fine examples in Towcester and Yardley Gobion. Whether you want one inspired by Silverstone woods, the Towcester watermeadows, summer berries or just Christmas itself, a lovely Christmas cocktail awaits.
Charlie Dewhirst
Conservative MP for Bridlington and The Wolds
Bridlington and The Wolds is the largest pig-producing constituency, with more pigs than people. Pigs in blankets are the ultimate versatile Christmas food – they go with a roast or can be eaten as a snack, and they can be eaten hot or cold. Fun fact: despite all the advances in technology, no one has managed to automate the production of pigs in blankets, so they all have to be hand-rolled.
It’s so important to buy British pork, not only at Christmas but all year round.
Terry Jermy
Labour MP for South West Norfolk
Grange Farm at Hockwold in my constituency produces significant quantities of onions. So, my ‘food’ would be the onion – a staple of any Christmas dinner, surely? Grange Farm is a great example of a modern family farm as they have embraced diversification with a sunflower maze and pop-up pizza kitchen on site.
If you’re looking for drinks, the English Distillery is located in my constituency. In 2006, it became England’s first registered operational whisky distillery for over 100 years.
Jayne Kirkham
Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth
We have a number of distillers springing up in Cornwall, including Loveday Distillery in Falmouth – the only organic rum distilled from scratch in Cornwall.
Spiced rum is fantastic at Christmas. We had a mayor in Falmouth who kept spiced rum in the mayor’s parlour, and we’d go and have one to recover from a winter full-council meeting. It’s also a good drink to take out for the Christmas Day swim on Gyllyngvase beach.
Josh Newbury
Labour MP for Cannock Chase
As many of us know all too well, chocolate is a staple of many families’ Christmases, whether it’s huge slabs bought as gifts for chocoholics or the ubiquitous variety tins passed around, with all the battles over the favourites.
In Hednesford in my constituency, vegan chocolate is being produced to cater for a full range of dietary and allergy requirements so everyone can join in with the fine tradition of eating way too much chocolate.
Vegan chocolate perhaps hasn’t always enjoyed the same positive reputation among much of the public as its dairy-based cousins, but that is rapidly changing with innovative new ingredients, like alternatives to refined sugar, and exciting flavours that change the chocolate experience altogether. Never afraid to declare the extent of my chocolate obsession, I will happily admit that I have chocolate before and after my Christmas Day lunch. The dietitians probably wouldn’t agree, but I believe it aids digestion.
