What these chefs are cooking up this Christmas time

What’s a Goodwin culinary specialty at Christmas?

Every year without fail, I make a glazed ham and to go with the ham is my curried mango chutney. I make the chutney out of fresh mangoes in a giant batch at the end of November, and I jar it and label it, so it’s not just for our Christmas table but gets distributed to family and friends as well. It’s an integral item on our Christmas table and everyone loves it.

How does Christmas look in your household?

The lead-up to Christmas is always, by its nature, a little bit hectic. Christmas Eve is the huge roast dinner at our place, and we have a crowd of family and friends around to enjoy it with us. It’s busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And a favourite holiday tradition?

After everyone goes home from Christmas Eve dinner, my husband Mick and I sit in the lounge room with the Christmas tree, and we exchange one gift. It’s a moment to take a deep breath, reflect on how lucky we are and enjoy that bubble of peace before Christmas morning – then the happy chaos begins again!

What’s your favourite festive dish from back home?

The British are very traditional with their Christmas food – the French not so much! So it’s all the expensive ingredients that come out at Christmas for the French, like Champagne, foie gras, oysters and duck or goose.

And have you found a Kiwi dish you like to cook now?

I’m not a big fan of turkey myself or a dessert guy, but a good pavlova, if it’s well made, is especially delicious at Christmas.

Give us a picture of your household on Christmas Day…

We generally stay in Sydney and share Christmas with our neighbours, so the barbecues are on, the family turns up and our friends turn up. It’s always a huge day of people coming in and out of one of the houses.

Any Feildel family traditions?

The last couple of years, I’ve been doing this – I wear a shirt with the Christmas theme on it and shorts, so I can jump in and out of the pool throughout the day.

What has been your best Christmas to date?

I think it hasn’t happened yet. This Christmas is going to be a good one because for the first time in many, many years, we are not staying in Sydney – we are going to Malaysia. My wife Clarissa is Malaysian, so she didn’t grow up with Christmas, so it won’t be anything traditional but Malaysian food, which I’m really looking forward to!

What’s your favourite thing to do on Christmas Day?

Like a lot of people, Christmas Day is busy as I’m often in the kitchen cooking dishes for my friends and family, so I often don’t get to really enjoy the day. But I love putting my Christmas tree up and decorating it on 1 December – that’s my favourite things to do! I secretly add one ornament every year. 

What do you usually make on the day?

Christmas ham, salads and trifle, plus I bake focaccia bread and I normally smoke salmon in my garden too!

Do you have any holiday traditions?

We often go to Japan or have my family coming over from Japan during the holiday season so we can celebrate the New Year as family. In our tradition, we give away money bags to kids on New Year’s Day, so as a parent, the holidays are very expensive!

Is there a Japanese dish you like to include?

I love to serve a Gion Delight, which is a delicious pink cocktail with saké, watermelon water, pink grapefruit cordial, and lemon, lime and bitters. If anyone is trying it, please don’t use cooking saké!

Are there any Irish Christmas dishes you can’t go without?

Colcannon – an Irish potato dish, which has lots of greens in it. I do it every year. It’s very homely and probably doesn’t suit the hot weather, but I love it.

And how about any Aussie foodie faves you’ve found over the years?

It would have to be fresh prawns – they’re a staple. I like to get the large tiger prawns, cut them in half, leave them in the shell and chargrill them with a little bit of garlic butter.

Do you do a festive dinner spread?

There’s so much food, apparently my wife says I’m cooking for half the country! We generally have ham, fish, prawns, probably some beef, about 10 different sides and four potato dishes. And yes, there are a lot of leftovers the next day, which get used up or given to charity.

What’s a tradition you like doing for the kids?

I bought my daughters bikes four years ago and they’ve never used them, so every Christmas I put the same bikes under the tree! To be honest, they’re not really that amused, but my wife and I find it quite funny on Christmas Eve, putting the same bikes under the tree as our Christmas tradition!

And your favourite thing to do on Christmas Day?

Christmas morning is a great one when we go swimming down at the beach. A lot of Irish people see people at the beach at Christmas Day, which they can’t get through their heads!

Get on top of your Christmas catering before the rush by pre-ordering a Christmas food box or placing an online supermarket order.