The Christmas holidays are here again, a festive time when we get to spoil our friends and family and perhaps overindulge a little ourselves.
Your Sloane’s Christmas Dinner Menu
Whether you celebrate Christmas with your meal on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve (this depends on cultural differences), there are so many amazing Christmas options from all over the world. Our Christmas options can provide some fresh ideas for your big Christmas feast.
Glazed Hams
These are a traditional Christmas meal in many parts of the world. In the US they have already had their Turkey on Thanksgiving, so Christmas is the time for a wonderful glazed ham. Sold in 2.3kg and 1.7kg sizes, our Glazed Hams are slow-cured in dark sugars and spices for two weeks, then dried and slowly poached to produce the perfect Christmas Ham.
In the UK, a Glazed Ham is traditional on Boxing Day (December 26th) as a party food.
For serving ideas and more, read our recipe post on “How to Glaze a Ham”
Juleribbe
Taking another one of our big sellers and moving it into Christmas. Juleribbe is a Norwegian specialty. This is a special cut of pork belly on the bone that has been prepared to be placed straight into the oven. The result is a perfectly succulent piece of pork with wonderfully crisp crackling that melts in your mouth. For the perfect Juleribbe, read our “How to cook a Juleribbe“
Roasted Chicken or Duck
Yes, goose, turkey, capon and other big birds are more traditional on Christmas Day. However, they are not a good option for a smaller table. This is where buying the highest quality poultry is a better option. At Sloane’s we partner with the very best Thai farms to provide a range of excellent products, including:
Sirin Farm Corn Fed Chicken
Sirin Farm corn fed chickens are naturally raised, fed on corn with no hormones or antibiotics. Once you have tasted these certified organic chickens, you will never look back. Perfect for 2 adults.
Tan Khun Free-Range Chicken
The luxury brand of Thai chicken! This is chicken how it is meant to be, fully certified organic and truly delicious. Tan Khun free-range chickens are local breeds, and that is saying a lot! The domestic chicken is native to Thailand. Yes! Chicken is a native Thai bird and was first domesticated here. With that pedigree, these free-range chickens are how chicken is meant to taste. Perfect for 2 adults.
Wagyu Prime Beef Roast
Not the most traditional Christmas Day fare, but beef in Thailand needs to be celebrated. It has come a long way in the past decade, and now we have access to amazing Wagyu herds. At Sloane’s we age all of our beef for 28 days, producing the perfect flavour for an amazing roast. Our topside is the quintessential beef roast for taste and simplicity in carving. Get that oven up HIGH when the beef is resting to get those perfect Yorkshire puddings!
Being that I have my capon for Christmas Day, my ham for Boxing Day (26th), I take great joy in knowing that a decent Beef roast will make my New Years Eve a super special way to end the year. Make sure your roast is perfect with our tailored topside cooking instructions.
Cranberry Porchetta
Cranberry Porchetta isn’t really a Christmas tradition anywhere. It really should be. For some a complex Christmas dinner is part of the joy of Christmas. I look forward to time in the kitchen putting together a meal for my loved ones.
This is the opposite. You can put this in the oven, take it out and serve it to great applause. You could even have this in the freezer in case last minute arrangements see extra guests for your Christmas meal. Add this on the table next to your main meat and people will have a tough choice.
I’d just have both!
Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing
Pork, sage and onion stuffing is traditionally served with your choice of Christmas bird, whether turkey, capon, goose, chicken or duck. It is traditional to stuff the bird. However, it does change the cooking times so we recommend cooking our stuffing in the provided tray next to your Christmas bird.
Pigs In Blankets, Chipolatas, Bacon
These are a must-have for the perfect Christmas meal. Place your pigs in blankets and chipolatas around the bird and drape some of our Smoked Back Bacon over the breasts of your bird about 30 minutes before the end of your cooking time to bring all the wonders of fine butchery to your table!
Gravy
There are so many amazing recipes out there for gravy. The golden rule, however, has to be to start with the best stock you can. We have our own Beef Stock and Chicken Broth to get you started. However, we also take some of the labour out of your Christmas Day with our Chicken Gravy. This will save you a lot of time and washing up too!
Cranberry, Port and Orange Sauce
Our friends at Inner Pickle have been producing this boozy wonder for us for over 6 years now. Their Cranberry, Port and Orange Sauce is a far cry from the canned “Cranberry Sauce” that is so well known in the US. This is a rich, dark and fruity affair that was created to cut through all the wonderful fats and provide a brilliant contrast in both flavour and look on your plate. Works equally well with poultry and hams!
Roast Potatoes
While we don’t sell potatoes (check links to our retail partners below), we do sell the perfect fats for perfect potatoes. The best roast potatoes are achieved with either Duck Fat or Wagyu Beef Tallow. Check out our cooking instructions below to get the finest roast potatoes you will have ever tasted.
Vegetables
Again, we don’t sell vegetables. However, we would like to share one amazing recipe hack with you. Steam your Brussels sprouts for about 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, fry some diced Sloane’s Pancetta in lard, once you start to see the Pancetta crisp slightly, throw the sprouts into the pan, toss, season and serve.
Party foods from the Sloane’s Kitchen
The thing about impromptu parties is that they can be difficult to cater for. Not that Thailand doesn’t have a broad spectrum of amazing food at your fingertips. It is just that a lot of Thai food isn’t very “Christmassy”. This is where freezer space and an oven (or even an air-fryer) can help your Christmas food bring festive cheer to all your friends and family.
If you are planning a party or a party starts to just “happen” around you, just reach into your freezer and pull out some Sloane’s goodies.
Pigs in Blankets
Sure, we all enjoy our sausages wrapped in bacon as a key part of Christmas dinner, but these little bundles of joy make perfect party food too. In Thailand, we can defrost a packet of these in under an hour. Then it is a quick cook, cut them into bite-sized pieces and skewer them on cocktail sticks or place the plate on your buffet table.
Chipolatas
Originally from France, these long thin sausages are loved by everyone and are a must-have addition to any Christmas meal. Also great served after cooling with festive quantities of beer and wine.
Cranberry, Pork and Chicken Pies
This Christmas variation on our year-round favourite, the Pork Pie, adds a new dimension. Simply defrost, allow to rise to room temperature, then cut into segments. Place your cranberry, pork and chicken pies on your serving plate and watch them disappear in minutes. Best order a few!
Pork Pies
Welcomed at any time of year. With a traditional pig fat pastry, lined with ham hock aspic and stuffed with Sloane’s pork and dry-cured bacon, these are the classic Christmas party food. For me, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one pork pie passing my lips whilst sipping on a great beer.
Sausage Rolls
Go the whole hog (a British saying meaning “Go the whole way”, but do ask us about whole hogs!) and get some Sloane’s Sausage Rolls. These are sold frozen as we believe in the joy of a freshly cooked sausage roll. Cut them into finger-sized pieces to serve as party food.
Inner Pickle X Sloane’s Mince Pies
We should probably get straight in and remind our American friends that this is NOT a savoury pie. Mince Pies get their name from the “mince meat” they are stuffed with. Heading back in time, this was scraps of meat heavily spiced to hide the poor quality. This evolved with the trade in dried fruits to the British traditional favourite. The only “meat” left in the pie is the beef suet that provides the rich, silky texture that makes the mince pie a great seasonal treat.
Our friends at Inner Pickle produce a special mincemeat each year. It is delivered by the end of October to be allowed to age in our ageing cabinets for 4-6 weeks. This allows for all the flavours to work together to produce a rich sweet treat.
These are traditionally served to welcome guests into our home over the festive season. Dust with icing sugar and serve with Port!
Pork and Sage Stuffing
I like the impact of stuffing on Christmas Day. However, simply rolling stuffing into balls and baking in the oven (or air-fryer) produces a fantastic party food option that is equally unexpected and welcomed!
Other Party Food Ideas
While a Glazed Ham can be a Christmas dinner centre-piece, it can also make a wonderful party feast focus. Pork Rillette works wonderfully on a buffet table with crusty bread and Inner Pickle’s Cranberry, Port and Orange Sauce.
A Cheesy Idea
As you have the bread out, try serving one of our Thai-made Artisan Cheese Platters with a jar of Inner Pickle Farmhouse Chutney. We can guarantee these Thai-made cheeses will be a great conversation starter for your guests too.
Don’t Forget the Sauces!
All these foods are greatly improved by ensuring your guests have a range of sauces to add to their plate. Choose from our Tomato Ketchup, Chipotle Ketchup and Brown Sauce. For a little Thai food twist, grab a bottle of our Thai Whiskey BBQ Sauce that works equally well as a dipping sauce.
Other Cooking Instructions
How to Cook Great Roast Potatoes
There are so many versions of roasted potatoes out there. Somewhere there has to be perfection. Us Brits have a secret. The Guardian. For some reason, their food section is just the best in the world. Potato choices are limited in Thailand. However, both Villa and Tops have decent varieties to work with (links further down). The golden rules are:
- Parboil your potatoes! Peel your potatoes, placing the peel in a pan of water that you are bringing to the boil. Cut your potatoes to the sizes you want and add to the boiling water allowing them to cook for 8-10 minutes. While waiting bring your fat to temperature in the oven (you choose, 180-200c is a good range….some go up to 240c). The best fats are duck fat or alternatively beef tallow.
- Bash your potatoes up. Drain the water from the pan, put the lid back on and give them a good shake. You don’t want to destroy them, simply create a layer of “loose” potato on the outside. Tip: If you discover you don’t have great potatoes for this stage, throw in a little plain flour to coat them….and tell nobody!
- Bring your roasting tin to your stove and place it on a burner to keep the fat hot (be aware of splashing fat!). Place the potatoes in the tray and quickly baste them with the fat. Place back in the oven.
- Do not touch them for at least 30-40 minutes. Then turn them every 10 minutes, basting with the fat, until you are happy.
How to Cook Sloane’s Stuffing and Trimmings
Trimmings is the word for all the extra meat we like to place around our main meat for a roast. This includes chipolatas, pigs in blankets, bacon, etc. With your oven on roasting your meal, simply place your trimming around your meat 30 minutes before you take the meat out to rest. Place your Sloane’s Pork and Sage stuffing in the oven, in its tray, 30 minutes prior to serving the meal.
Christmas Meal Hacks
- Prepare early! Vegetables can be prepared the day before and placed in lockable containers. All meat should be resting in the fridge 24 hours before cooking. If you are preparing your gravy, this can be done the day before too and reheated on the day.
- Make sure you have all your serving platters ready and warmed. If you have hot water in your sink, this is a great place to warm your platters.
- Plan your meal! The myth that British food is simple is only purveyed by those who have not cooked a perfect roast! The secret is timing. Work out your serving time and plan backwards. At 15 minutes if you want the food to arrive on time! Create a timeline, all the way to the beginning of the day. Place this on your fridge and cross items off as they’ve happened. Even after 30+ years of cooking roasts, I will do this if I know I will be drinking….and I WILL be drinking on Christmas Day!
- Relax, the hungrier your guests are, the more they will appreciate their food. If things are delayed….another round of drinks will distract them perfectly!
Some of our favourite Christmas recipes
There is a complete legend in domestic perfection. Her name is Felicity Cloake. She is a regular columnist for The Guardian. She has outlined how to cook the perfect Christmas Roast. Truthfully, most of the work has been done for you by us, but timings and tips are always useful. Plus, I haven’t given you a recipe for Bread Sauce.
Sourcing other ingredients in Thailand
Sloane’s is proud of our network of distributors. We have our products in the highest quality supermarkets across Thailand. These partners can supply you with great vegetables, potatoes and the other little bits that we don’t supply. Working together we can have you producing the perfect Christmas meal anywhere in Thailand.
Tops
Villa Market
Gourmet Market
Wishing you the very best of the season
Christmas in Thailand has changed so much over the past 15 years. Even for those of us who love living here, there are some things that we don’t want to change. Christmas is, for many, a very important time of year to get family and friends over to enjoy food, drinks and great company.
At the heart of every culture’s celebrations are foods that make it special and we take great pride in being able to provide the highest quality products to make your Christmas complete. The right foods enjoyed in the warming light of a christmas tree can make the most merry Christmas wherever you are in the world.
Whether in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, in fact…wherever. We’ll let Santa Claus take care of the presents, while Sloane’s will deliver your Christmas food.
