CHRISTMAS SALAD 1 - JEWEL SALAD AND TABLE DECO TIPS

- METHOD -

Add all the salad ingredients together in a beautiful shallow bowl. Place all the dressing ingredients in a bottle, give it a good shake and you’re done!

DECO TIPS SETTING THE SCENE FOR A FEAST

We’re probably all more than ready to kiss 2020 goodbye! Why not do so with a fun, festive table setting? We share a few ideas.

1) Keep it natural

• Christmas is expensive enough as it is, you really don’t need to add to the tab with shop-bought flowers. Raid your garden instead. And we’re not talking flowers, we’re talking foliage. Ivy is a classical Christmas winner. Any grey-green leaves are more modern – olive tree branches are particularly pretty, so too eucalyptus. Keep them natural or give them a light spritz of gold spray paint on the edge of the leaves. Large glass vases of just foliage are a knockout, or add some small baubles or lumetta.

• Oranges studded with cloves are just too pretty. Put the kids to work.

• Use gift card tags as name holders. Tie them to a serviette with raffia string and pop in a bit of green foliage.

• Plain brown paper as a runner is somehow classy while at the same time seriously fun.

2) Light it up

• Just because it’s 30 degrees Celsius and bright light outside doesn’t mean you can’t sparkle. The variety of battery-powered fairy lights on offer in different shapes and sizes is just brilliant. String them into your foliage and trail them around your serving dishes.

• Make it even more festive by sprinkling Christmas glitter and stars over the table. One packet of glitter for R10 goes a long way!

• If you have cookie cutters in star shapes, Christmas tree shapes or reindeer shapes, use them to decorate your table! Tie them to your foliage with raffia bows, dot them around the table or use them as serviette rings.

3) Consider colour

• Pick one colour as your main one, then punch it with complimentary and constrasting notes. Considered colour is classy, kiddy crazy colour is not. How about:        

- Mainly white, with gold accents and green foliage.

- Cobalt blue with shades of blue through to green and contrasting orange (like we did!)

- Light blue/turquoise through to green with fresh white and hints of gold or silver

- Dramatic purple with splashes of contrasting orange and hints of gold

- We also love an all-white table, with just hints of greenery and natural elements like raffia

4) It doesn’t have to match. No, really, it doesn’t…

• Tables where absolutely everything matches can be fabulous. They’re also a bit formal – like Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. For a more relaxed table that is still OTT gorgeous, combine different styles of cutlery and crockery. As long as you have a central strong colour theme running through it, it all works.

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za