Monday, November 22, 2010

Christmas Treats: Love or Hate?

Before I delve into the goodies, I just wanted to say a big thanks for all the very helpful comments on my last post!

Now then, onto the treats! Venturing into Marks & Spencer last night, I was accosted by shelves heaped with Christmas offerings: mince pies, fruit cake and more. I cannot stand mince pies or fruit cake, but my other half fell upon them with all the glee of an bulimic elf.

So: when it comes to the goodies below, do you love 'em or hate 'em?

Mince pies. A British festive sweet pastry, traditionally consumed during the Christmas and New Year period and also for Thanksgiving in America ... Mince pies are filled with mincemeat – a preserve typically containing apple, dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas, spices, and either suet or vegetable shortening. Source: Wikipedia.

Fruit cake. A cake made with chopped candied fruit and/or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and (optionally) soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated. Fruitcakes are often served in celebration of weddings and Christmas. Source: Wikipedia.

Terry's Chocolate Orange. A popular British chocolate product, made by Kraft Foods, originally sold only in the United Kingdom, but now sold all across the world. It is a ball of chocolate mixed with orange oil, divided into 20 "segments", similar to a real orange. Source: Wikipedia.

Mulled wine. Wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. Nowadays, it is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. Source: Wikipedia.

Chicken Bones (Canadians, is this is a Canadian thing? I haven't seen it in the UK). A unique pink cinnamon outer shell surrounding Ganong semi-sweet chocolate in the centre. Source: Ganong.

What's your favourite or most hated Christmas treat?

74 comments:

  1. I hate Christmas Cake-because I cannot resist it! I never buy or make it-but guests always bring one when they come and stay. The marzipan and cherries call to me through the tin and three sets of cupboard doors no matter how hard I try to ignore it-and I'm not happy until it's all been eaten! By me that is...

    ReplyDelete
  2. By the time I've had 2 or 3 mince pies I'm sick of them. I do like Christmas cake, but mainly it's because of the marzipan and icing. Yumm! I could eat a whole slab of marzipan just on its own.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmmmm... it must be an acquired British taste, maybe? Marzipan makes my stomach curdle!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love them all apart from the Canadian thing which I've never heard of, but I bet I'd love that too. I have to add to this list all the Finnish sweet Christmas treats which I'm going to stock up on tomorrow at the Finnish Christmas Fair. Come January I'll be on a strict detox. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOVE mulled wine. HATE mince pies and fruit cake!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have so many Christmas treats to name it's hard to just pick one!!! I love pumpkin pie (yes for thanksgiving) and apple pies, sugar cookies, oh my gosh these delicious little cake balls my mother-in-law makes. It's delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm with you! Mince pies and fruit cakes are just plain old NASTY!
    We rarely even see fruit cake here anymore....YUCK!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not familiar with those, except for the dreaded fruit cake. One could build a bomb shelter out of uneaten fruit cakes.
    I'm all for fudge!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mmm, Mince pies - I've already had one this year (this is not normal in our house to have one this early but you know :) ). Love Christmas cake too.

    It's a big fat no thought for me to mulled wine as I don't drink lol.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't stand Christmas cake, Christmas pudding or mince pies. Never heard of chicken bones! Usually for my Christmas treat I buy in a box of some form of peppermint creams and a few cupcakes from the Sugar Loaf Bakery (Talli, if you're ever in Dublin, I'll send you details!).

    I love mulled wine (can never be bothered making it but my friend does a lovely one for her Halloween party every year) and Terry's chocolate orange. The latter is not just for Christmas though :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love mulled wine, but chocolate oranges are my favorite!!

    I've never had "real" fruit cake, so I can't pass judgment, but I do know that I'd rather cut off my finger than eat what passes for fruit cake around here...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love mulled wine (the sweet kind) and chocolate oranges, but mince pies do not appeal to me in the slightest. And I hate plum pudding, which is very Christmassy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I hate Christmas cake, but always feel I should have one at Christmas - even if just for the pretty way it's decorated. Mince pies are revolting unless they are made by my mother, chocolate orange isn't even worth thinking about, never mind eating, but mulled wine I can never get enough of and I have never heard of chicken bones, except the kind that actually come in a chicken. Christmas is my most favourite time ever!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Chicken bones?!?!?!!? Chicken bones?!?!?! Oh you crazy canadians!! LOL!! I want some chicken bones please!!!

    forget the rest (oh ok maybe not the mulled wine) but I want some chicken bones!!!

    :-) Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  15. I will eat just about ANYTHING with sugar in, but mince pies and christmas cake tend to have that nasty peel stuff which puts me off. Ditto cinnamon, which tastes to me like soap, or nutmeg which tastes like greasy soap. Mulled wine has a horrible medicinal smell and...do you know, I can't understand how I manage to put on a stone every Christmas, when all the food is yuk!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I can't eat candy and stuff like that because I have sensitive teeth. But I'll always go for a nice alcoholic drink. I've never had mulled wine, but it sounds pretty good! Around here we drink hot apple cider and spiced rum. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Don't like mince pies or fruit cake :(
    Do like mulled wine :)
    I've never heard of the other things you mentioned.
    I like decorated sugar cookies. And coconut cake.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I, um, actually like fruitcake. Now sure what's wrong with me, but I'm the freak who keeps buying the awful things.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've never had Canadian Chicken Bones, but since I like chocolate and cinnamon it sounds delicious. I also go for the chocolate oranges.
    The rest of the items--nope. I think it's the dried or candied fruit that turns me off, but I got to thinking why it would've traditionally been so popular in cold countries. Without fresh fruit, it would've been a treat. Now, however, most everybody has access to fresh fruit.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mince pies - Love this!

    Fruit cake -I'm probably one of the few people that look forward to eating fruitcake...and eggnog.

    Terry's Chocolate Orange - not a fan. I don't like mixing my fruit and chocolate.

    Mulled wine - never had it. Sounds yummy though.

    Chicken Bones -- Love, love, love. It's got chocolate in the center that makes it oh so good. I should find some when I'm in Canada next month.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'll try just about anything. Whether or not I like it is another story.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gotta have chocolate covered cherries!

    ReplyDelete
  23. The only think I've had from your list is the chocolate orange thing and it sucked. I'm sorry, but even though I love it, chocolate does not go with everything and there are some fruits it should just stay the hell away from.

    I think I've had a german or austrian version of mulled wine. Loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  24. LOVE the chocolate orange, never had mincemeat, but I think it sounds yummy! I'm the only weirdo I know who likes fruitcake--if it's heavier on the dried fruit & nuts and zero of those candied bits. :p

    Never heard of chicken bones...

    whee! Love Christmas goodies~ :o)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I really miss the Christmas goodies from the UK. You just can't get Christmas pudding or mince pies here. One thing I miss most, which might seem weird, are the advent calendars with the little chocolates for each day. I've never heard of Chicken bones. It has a strange name, but the description sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mice pies : always have one because, you know, it's Chritsmas. Then I kind of realize I don't like them much and don't eat any more. Why don't they make chocolate mince pies eh?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well, we deepfry a turkey, so that's pretty effing delicious

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Talli .. I go with Anita's (the first) comment! Love home-made Christmas cake full of goodies, and home-made marzipan and royal icing - that melts in your mouth .. too wonderful!! Love thin pastry mince pies .. and mince pie mix .. and cherries .. like Anita .. I try and keep them away!

    Mulled wine .. sometimes is delicious .. but again must be made properly ..

    Terry's chocolate orange - no favours, nor the Canadian choccy Chicken wings .. but perhaps they're like the Belgian shells you can get?

    Do like Christmas goodies though!!

    Looks like hubby will have one Christmas, and you have the other - & both share the vino and bubbly?

    Cheers - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  29. As I am trying to lose some pounds I shall be careful whatg I eat Christmas or no Christmas.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've always believed it was a gender thing. My other half goes wild at the sight of Christmas cake and mince pies whereas I can't really see the point.

    But Terry's Chocolate Orange - oh yes. And mulled wine. That's far more like it. Bring it on. :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love love love chocolate oranges!!! I didn't know it was originally sold in the UK. That's cool!

    My favorite goodies at Christmas are cookies and hot cocoa!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I guess I'm just a simple kinda guy. I love fudge and traditional cookies. Hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps and whipped cream. Stuff like that.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I used to hate fruitcake until a friend of mine made one... She soaked it in booze for ages and it was delicious. (But, then again, it might have been the booze talking.) Had to Google Chicken Bones... I've defintely seen them around but I've never tried them. Are they any good? My fave Christmas treat is my Mum's homemade powdered doughnuts. Yum! :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. I don't like Christmas pudding and only occasionally try Christmas cake or a mince pie. I love Turkish Delight though, that's my Christmas treat.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm not keen on mince pies or Christmas cake, but eat both because it's traditional - how's that for seasonal madness?

    Can't stand Christmas pudding though.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Mince pies and mulled wine, sitting in front of the log fire...yummmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  37. Talli, you'll think I'm crazy but I haven't tried any of these holiday foods!

    I like my holiday food simple: turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  38. As a Canadian, I've never heard of this bones thing.

    I don't like mince pie or fruit cake...

    I haven't tried the mulled wine or chocolate oranges.

    Let's see, cookies this time of year are especially good. My mother makes something called Australian Squares that I really like.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I will NEVER understand people that eat/like those fruit/nut rings. Gross.

    ReplyDelete
  40. "...a bulemic elf." You crack me up!

    I've never had mince pies, though I'm curious about how they taste. Didn't they used to have meat in them?

    ReplyDelete
  41. These mostly fall into the, "sort of weird" category for me. Not like goat's head soup or pig's feet, but still..

    I haven't tried Terry's Chocolate Orange but it sounds good, and of course anything with the name, Terry, in it must be good;)

    I still like candy canes

    ReplyDelete
  42. All those except the chicken bones. I also love Stollen - that fruit bun thing with marzipan in the middle. Oh yum.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Mulled wine is definitely high on my list of favorite things! The turkey and pumpkin pie battle for my #1 favorite though.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yes on all those but the fruit cake... unless there is enough brandy that i don't care anymore...

    My grandma used to makes a really good Christmas pudding that I miss (pudding as in cake doused in sweet cream)

    I also love fudge, divinity, peanut brittle, toffee, sugar cookies... Oh, there is large selection of Christmas goodies I like...

    ReplyDelete
  45. I'm LOVING reading about all these treats! I just had soem yummy sticky toffee pudding, which has somewhat satisfied my craving.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Talli you have to grow to love the mince pies, and the fruit cake is the best esp when soaked in Brandy or rum and set aflame.
    Better yet save all your yummy food and post them to me, I shall go in search of chicken bones and send em to you.
    Thanks for making me drool

    ReplyDelete
  47. Fruitcake? I think they're re-gifted all the time so they're at least a couple of years old by the time you get them.

    Eggnog w/ extra cinnamon & whipped cream & chocolate walnut fudge are 2 must-haves. Also, peppermint ice cream w/ chunks of peppermint stick in it.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Just had to add that while I think Terry's Chocolate Orange is such a cool concept, to me any chocolate mixed w/ a citrus fruit doesn't taste good. Now, if you like the aroma, which I do, try Amour de Cacao by Comptoir Sud. It's a wonderful perfume.

    Chocolate does mix very nicely w/ many berry type fruits like raspberries & strawberries. It also works beautifully w/ cherries.

    Anyway, just in a really chocolaty mood today for some reason, probably because Mondays need to have a jump start to them & chocolate & even coffee seem to work.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Love mulled wine because it reminds me of winters in Germany and standing outside in the Christmas markets, warming my hands on a mug of Glühwein, and feeling childlike excitement about Christmas (not that I'm say I drank alcohol when I was a kid or anything!)

    I like the chocolate Santas and decorations you can put on the tree and gradually eating your way through them, as well as getting a chocolate a day in an Advent calendar. I don't mind mince pies but I prefer Stollen, which has marzipan in it. I love the stuff - and being made from almonds, it's squirrel-friendly. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Mince pies - mulled wine and crabbies green ginger wine (I'll make do with ordinary ginger wine when I'm not in Scotland)

    I'm also partial to stollen.

    And if anyone can tell me where ?I can get hold of black bun (Scotch bun as it is otherwide known) down here in the South I'll love you for ever!

    ReplyDelete
  51. I hate all the treats (except I'm Canadian and I've never heard of the bones thing either) you mentioned, but I do have a weakness for other treats I can't find in my adopted country, especially Kinder Surprise.

    ReplyDelete
  52. hot coffee in my pajamas - or hot cocoa, also in my pajamas after snowblowing the drive

    ReplyDelete
  53. Chicken bones? Interesting. I haven't seen those in the U.S. either. I like gingerbread cookies best, especially the kind with candy on them. I wish they were sold all year round.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I adore mince pies (especially with custard but I eat them alone too). Terry's chocolate orange is fabulous too but if I don't get to eat them then I don't freak out or anything.

    The rest I never eat, wouldn't want to eat, and if anyone showed them to me I would in fact puke up.

    Jai

    ReplyDelete
  55. I'm indifferent where eggnog is concerned.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I love rich fruit cake with cheese! Yummy, and brandy snaps without the cream, and tree chocolates, and mince pies if home made, and treacle tart and christmas pudding with custard...actually, you'll find me by the puddings at most gatherings, festive or otherwise!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Mince pies I love
    Christmas cake - I can take it or leave it (and in the case of the marzipan, definitely leave it!)
    Terry's choco orange - it's chocolate!
    Chicken bones? Don't you boil those to make a stock?
    I love those little sausages wrapped in bacon that only seem to appear for the Christmas lunch
    and the annual nut-fest
    and the satsumas (which I always associate with Christmas because there would always be one in my stocking!)
    Rachel ... can I hire you to write my Christmas wish list? (although fruit cake and cheese?)
    I'll take the cheese with a glass of port after the Christmas meal though!

    ReplyDelete
  58. My mother used to make fruitcake every Christmas. I've never tried to make it, though. One tradition my kids do not like is eggnog. Every year I'd serve it and they would gag, even after they were in their 20s and I added a bit of alcohol. So I finally stopped trying. And they were disappointed. Turns out hating eggnog was our family tradition!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Strangely I don't like a single item on your list!! My mom used to make fruit cake, but so few people like it, she stopped!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Favorite: mulled wine. Shocking, I know.

    Hate: Fruit cake. /shudder

    ReplyDelete
  61. Love the Chocolate Orange. Just ate up two over Halloween! But not sure about Chicken Bones. Never heard of them actually but they sound like they would be ok! Mince pies and Christmas Fruit Cake I could do without but would miss seeing them around at Christmaa

    ReplyDelete
  62. chicken bones? that's some name they chose

    ReplyDelete
  63. I did love my grandmother's mince meat pie, prepared with her homemade mince meat that really contained bits of meat. Today's mince pie is way too sweet by comparison.

    I don't have any serious dislikes, but my favorite treat is homemade sour cream sugar cookies. They are sooooo good.

    ReplyDelete
  64. I am not a fan of any of the Christmas food traditions. My mom would always bake the cake... the mince pies... I'd be the only one in the family not eating it.

    Easter is more up my alley. Hot cross buns... and of course.... Chocolate. :D

    ReplyDelete
  65. Christmas foods are awesome, though I can't enjoy mulled wine. Warm alcohol doesn't suit me :P

    Another food I like at Christmas is Bara Brith. It's a Welsh fruitcake where you soak all of the fruit in cold tea overnight before baking the cake. Very nice :)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Love 'em all! ;0

    I am sooo looking forward to the UK just to buy a choc orange for DH as a Christmas gift.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I like fruit cake, but it really depends on who made it.

    http://ficklecattle.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  68. I don't think I'll be indulging of any of those this Christmas, thank you very much. My favorite Christmas treat is probably just pie (any type will do, cream varieties preferred). :)

    ReplyDelete
  69. I don't like fruit cake. I don't know. I think it more the sight of it than the taste.
    Mulled wine is good though.

    ReplyDelete
  70. I can't say that I like any of those. :o) The only time I like to mix baked goods with fruit is when the fruit is fresh.

    "bulimic elf"! I'm still laughing... :o)

    Happy Holidays, Talli!

    ReplyDelete
  71. I must be a bah-humbug, because I dislike most of the festive food. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  72. I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one to detest mince pies.

    Update: I tried one again tonight. Still bluck.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Fruit cakes are amazing! :) I've never had a mince pie before, but I've always wanted to try one. It sounds quite interesting haha.

    ~TRA

    http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Coffee and wine for all!