6 Alternative Christmas Dinners in London

If, like us, you like food, Sahara-dry turkey and tepid gravy isn't the most appealing option as a Christmas meal. Especially when you're having it with work, friends, and family twice a week for a month. Move over Hereditary; now THAT'S a horror film. Groundhog Day with burnt Christmas pudding and still-frozen Yorkshire puddings. Vile, and for the rip-off price of £25. That's why we, the benevolent do-gooders at Stuffed, have come up with some helpful alternative options for Christmas dinners for you to lobby your mates with.

Old Street Records

Taking the alternative title maybe a tad too literally - but hey, you got to (rock'n')roll with it. Sorry. This oldschool rock and soul bar serves up great wood-oven pizzas and cocktails for a head-swivellingly low price; 2 pizzas and 2 drinks for £19. With great music and a charmingly raucous vibe, it's a pretty cool and cheap, and not a turkey in sight. Check it out here.

Dishoom

Dishoom has rapidly become one of the most celebrated and popular South Asian restaurant chains in London, and they have a mouth-watering Christmas menu to boot. Based on small plates and grills, inventive, surprising and incorrigibly flavourful, this is the antithesis of your Christmas lunch woes. Also, they do do Turkey; but it's slow-cooked over a full day in its own juices then served with bombay potatoes and masala greens. Your innocuous gastro pub this ain't. Check it out here.


Monty's Deli

Tired of Christmas dinner - how about a Insert December Festival Here dinner instead? Monty's Deli adopts a self-awareness to the tired tradition, blending Christmas and Hanukkah for turkey-cum-bagels, apple strudel and malt cake. All the culinary interplay is backed up by some exceptional reviews and reasonable prices. Check it out here.

The Big London Bake

How about foregoing dinner altogether... and just smashing your bodyweight in gingerbread? Twee? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely. This baking contest in Tooting is a wonderful alternative to sitting down and regretting paying £6.20 for a watered-down Peroni, engaging, fun; after a few hours of sweet delights, assumedly nauseous. In a good way. Check it out here.

Rosa's Thai Cafe

You know why I love Christmas menu? There's no contrived Christmassyness. No shoehorned turkey, no try-hard Brussel sprouts (the prats). It's all Thai food, and all delicious, just wrapped up in a nice Christmassy context. Get merry off the complimentary prosecco and pull your crackers then dive into a chilli and holy basil stir fry. Magic. Check it out here.

Tropicana Beach Club

The heatwave never ended with the Tropicana! Palm tree decorations, copious cocktails, and grilled beach food. You'd struggle to get further from the windswept Soho streets or flu-riddled London tube than here. Escapism at its tipsiest. Check it out here.

STOP THROWING AWAY YOUR PUMPKIN SEEDS

Don't throw your pumpkin seeds away! They're IDEAL for making tasty, healthy Halloween snacks!

With Halloween around the corner, whether you're turning it into a yummy curry or are carving a work of art into it,  it's likely you have bought a pumpkin.

In both cases, you will be left with seeds. Previously you will have also thrown these seeds away.

STOP DOING THAT.
Pumpkin seeds are, for a start, far more versatile than the pumpkin itself. They are also packed full of vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre.

They are also very easy to roast. There's very little fuss. Have a look at how to do it right here:
Scrape the seeds from the pumpkin, use an ice cream scoop if you have one to hand.
The worst bit: getting rid of all the strands of pumpkin attached to the seeds.
Thoroughly rinse the seeds in water (use a sieve or a colander). Pat them dry
Spread the seeds on an oven tray.
Add sea salt and a generous drizzle of olive oil (if you are just garnishing, add chilli flakes, spices ... everything else)
Mix it all together, ensuring the seeds are well coated.
Bake at 180c/350f/gas mark 4 for 10 mins, until golden brown.
Allow them to cool before eating or storing.
Now that you've done just as above and have some nice roasted seeds. Check out just how much you can do with them!

Pumpkin seeds are a fab garnish for:
Hummus
Salads
Roasted Vegetables
Porridge

Or think bigger: Mackerel with Cauliflower "Couscous" and Tahini
Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the cauliflower, tossing occasionally, until florets are browned in spots but still crunchy, usually takes five minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
Pulse the cool-ish cauliflower in a food processor (or a NutriBullet) until it's all roughly the size of rice grains.
Transfer the cauliflower back into a bowl, toss with lemon juice (for flavour and to preserve the colour), olive oil and sea salt, and add the pumpkin seeds to the cauliflower.
Place mackerel on a baking sheet and rub with oil; season all over with a lot of salt. Stuff the cavity with lemon and thyme. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, should take 10–12 minutes. Allow it to rest for five minutes while you ...
Spoon the seeds and cauliflower onto plates, then drizzle with tahini. Top with more seeds.
Finally remove fillets from fish and place, skin side up, on top. Add parsley and a sprinkle of salt. Yum.

Pumpkin Seeds are fab. Go get Stuffed on them.

Rhys Thomas.

Perfect Pumpkin Curry Recipe for Autumn

Delicious pumpkin curry... perfect for when you're finished carving your pumpkins this Halloween (and perfect for the rest of autumn too!)

Halloween has come and gone but one thing sure hasn't... pumpkins! Whether you carve them, paint them or keep them in their pure pumpkin glory, don't forget about them once Halloween is over. Pumpkins are delicious and so definitely should not go to waste; instead, use your pumpkin to make some tasty autumnal dishes, including this warming pumpkin and chickpea curry. It is so easy to make and perfect for making in big batches, you might even have enough left over to keep eating well into November: just in time for transitioning into pumpkin pie! But more on that later... For now, here's your new go-to pumpkin curry recipe!

Ingredients

1 pumpkin

1 onion

1 tin of chickpeas

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

2 tins of coconut milk

1 bunch of coriander

2 cloves of garlic

Salt

Pepper

Rice

Oil for cooking

Method

1. First, wash and prepare your pumpkin. Slice the top off (if you haven't already done so in order to decorate!) and then scoop out the insides with a spoon or ice cream scoop. Don't throw the seeds away! We can use these later. Next, cut your pumpkin into quarters, and then into small chunks.

2. Add your oil into a saucepan and add the chopped onions and garlic. Once they are cooked, add the coconut milk and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then add the pumpkin, chickpeas and coriander. Reduce to a low heat and cover with a lid and let simmer for 45 minutes.

3. When the time is up, start boiling your rice and then cook the curry for another 10 minutes until the sauce is thick.

4. Serve up your delicious pumpkin curry and enjoy!

Seren Morris