Welcome to Day 9 of #12booksofchristmas December is flying by!

In case you have missed any of the previous 8 books, I have listed them below:

• Day One - Jingle all The Way by Debbie Macomber
• Day Two - The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson
• Day Three - Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar
• Day Four - Christmas at the Little Waffle Shack by Helen Rolfe
• Day Five - How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith
• Day Six - The Night before Christmas by Alex Pine
• Day Seven - The Ice Children by M.G.Leonard
• Day Eight - Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

Our local pub is a little gem of a place and we are lucky enough that an excellent chef called Ian works there. Ian is half-Finnish and each December holds a Finnish night. The pub is bedecked with Finnish flags, an extremely strong alcoholic sprit was on the table which nearly blew my socks off! And we ate delicious salmon and potato soup, pickled herring, venison and a crisp blueberry pie. It was a wonderful way to spend an evening and even better our friends were visiting, one half of the couple is also Finnish.

As usually happens, our talk turned to food, and the Finnish traditions. Ian and my friend talked about how this menu would be served on Christmas Eve night and celebrated. A wonderful meal to mark a very special time of the year. And so today it seemed fitting that I bring you a wonderful book all about winter food.

From the Back of the Book

The irresistible dishes within Diana Henry's collection of cold-weather recipes from the chillier parts of Europe and North America originate from the traditions and cuisines of New England, Quebec, Russia, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Northern Italy, France, Britain and Ireland.The ingredients used not only reflect the colours and flavours of the colder seasons, but will also have their own special heritage, having been farmed in the same way for centuries... Roast Figs, Sugar Snow is a delight for the senses and celebrates the unique flavours of Autumn and Winter

My Thoughts

I love the phrase 'food that sticks to your bones' which is used quite a lot in our family. It describes the type of food that is hearty, warming and probably contains a large number of calories. But perfect when the weather is very cold and you crave comfort.

This is the book that embodies that comfort. Think beautiful soups, potato, cheese, cinnamon and reminding us of who our ancestors were.

The book is helpfully divided into chapters such as 'Earthly pleasures', 'Of Wood and Smoke' and 'The Colour Purple' Each stimulating our senses. The pictures are beautiful. Snowy landscapes, warm inviting interiors and delicious, simple yet comforting food. You could be forgiven for thinking you are in a an alpine ski-lodge, or a cabin in snowy woods

Diana Henry shares her inspiration and memories of the food, whether it was the first meal she ate in Denmark, brought to her by room service complete with 2 tall candles, or discussing sponge pudding at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon.

And it is this narrative that also provides something that sticks to our bones. When the weather is cold, we want something hearty, comforting and flavoursome not a lettuce leaf.

I will let you into a secret, I have been wanting to feature this book on #12booksofchristmas for a very long time and have been thwarted at every turn. Most notably because I didn't own a copy of the book. Yes, it was heavily looked through and adored within the bookshop where I worked, I discussed it with my bookselling chums and we all would talk about it to any poor customer who may have popped into the shop.

And then I stumbled across a second hand copy which I promptly bought last year, right before the publishers re-released it. I am pleased that this is back in circulation again. It deserves to be cuddled by a new generation of food-lovers. Beautiful, comforting recipes. It's a small piece of Christmas heaven.