Taste of Christmas

CHRISTMAS is different things to different people. A religious celebration. A season of goodwill. A time for the children. To a glutton like me, however, the festivities centre on food and drink. Having very nearly grown out of the childish pleasure of ripping open a Lego set before dawn on December 25, I get my Chrimble kicks from the kitchen.

The luscious bird, honey roasted, surrounded by roast potatoes and chestnut stuffing; the pud, dark and moist; the tang of home made chutney dolloped on to a thick slice of Yorkshire ham; all washed down with some hearty slurps from a locally-crafted beer.

That is why York's St Nicholas Fayre is so enjoyable. There are many wonderful gifts up for grabs, certainly: but I head straight for the foodie stalls. They serve up an early taste of the excessive delights of Christmas.

Better still, the fayre fare is all locally produced. More than 20 members of the Yorkshire Pantry, the regional association for food and drink producers, are taking part this year.

Among them is Botham's Bakery, of Whitby. Elizabeth Botham & Sons, to give the full title, is a family-run business that dates back to 1865. But it has come right up to date, selling its bread and pastries to online customers.

Michael Jarman, who is married to one of Elizabeth Botham's granddaughters, Sarah, said: "We send products all over the world via the Internet.

"We get an awful lot of ex-pats who are customers, as well as people who visited Whitby who want a piece of Whitby sent out to them."

Imagine receiving Botham's double chocolate biscuits or plum bread through the post. Such heaven-sent morsels would certainly take your mind off the gas bill.

The St Nicholas Fayre is the old fashioned way to do business, of course, and the Botham family always enjoy the experience.

One of the most popular Christmas lines is brack, either the traditional Yorkshire variety or the new sticky stem ginger brack.

"It's rather like cake," Michael explains. "It's really moist and delicious."

What his customers love is the quality, he adds. That, too, is what impressed the buyers for Fortnum & Mason, the London store, which stocks Botham products.

"We're a craft bakers. We make everything by hand."

The same could be said of Mackenzies Yorkshire Smoke House at Blubberhouses.

Robert Crowson said that smoking was "probably the earliest form of food preparation, possibly even before cooking. The feeling is that cavemen used fire to keep themselves warm and smoked the food in the cave as they did it."

Probably best known for smoked salmon, the two Mackenzies smoke houses also produce smoked prawns, kippers and other sea food and meat including poultry, ostrich and boar.

So what is the difference between his food and that bought from the supermarket?

"The difference is taste. Our haddock comes straight from Scarborough, we pick the best haddock we can get. And it's not dyed. It will taste a lot better."

He supplies many restaurants, as well as Harrods in London.

When it comes to drink, Yorkshire is best known for its many wonderful breweries. But the region also boasts Yorkshire Country Wines, based at Glasshouses, Harrogate.

Due to the lack of nearby vineyards, husband and wife Richard and Gillian Brown create delicious wines from fruit.

Their customers, says Gillian, are "anybody really who wants an alternative. We don't say it's better than the grape: we just say it's an alternative. We make wine of all styles. We try to cover everybody's taste. We do an elderberry which is like a light port, and nice to have with your cheese. Whereas the gooseberry is quite a crisp wine, as you can imagine."

With Gillian's wine, Robert's smoked meat and fish and Michael's bread, you have a veritable feast of Yorkshire Christmas fare. And these are just three of the options on offer at the St Nicholas Fayre this year. Hurry - they're only here November 24-25.

Updated: 09:38 Saturday, November 24, 2001