Dec 13

Dec 13 Heinz [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise-Two Maximalist Christmas Tables

Hands up if after Christmas day is over you can't stand the sight of more Turkey? Groan at Turkey Casserole, Turkey Stew, Turkey Curry, Yes! I hear you!

We continue in our mission to make Christmas leftovers taste good and to find imaginative ways to use the leftover Turkey, which let's face it is usually pretty bone dry after a couple of days. Our tummies groan with food, chocolates and sweets and sometimes we just want a sandwich, something straightforward that isn't a massive feast. With this in mind, Heinz have launched festive jars of [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise, dressed up for Christmas, to help you out, so you can cover your turkey in mayonnaise, add a slice of stuffing, some chopped pigs in blankets and some cranberries and "Bob's you Uncle", something quick to prepare, already in your cupboard and uses up the leftover turkey. Double bonus in my books!

Want to use it with party food? It's good here too - in fact there are many different ways in which mayonnaise can be used throughout the festive season, from the sandwiches at a party tea, to your starter on Christmas day.

What do you think of these three lovely Christmas limited edition jars? – my personal favourite is the one with the Christmas tree. The distinctive oval-shaped glass jar has a really premium feel and I’d feel quite happy having this on my dining table come Christmas day, boxing day and right through the festive season

8 in 10 Brits say that food and drink is the most important part of Christmas, so both the quality of the food and the way it’s presented will help take your festive feast to the next level.

To give you a bit of inspiration, the lovely people at Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise have asked me to share my ideas on how to upgrade your Christmas – specifically, your Christmas table. So I’m going to show you two different ways I’m thinking of setting out our dining area this year, be it for the big day itself, Boxing day or for a New Year Feast, or simply because you are on holiday, during the Christmas period and you have family coming over. I've incorporated the colours of the Heinz Mayonnaise Labels into my tables and you will see this below, but first off, here are some tips on the key ingredients for creating that maximalist Christmas table.

My Tips for Creating a Festive Table

1. Ambience. There is no better time than Christmas for creating a cosy ambience. Turn off the overhead lights and use candles; the more the merrier. If you must have lights switched on, use task lights or table lights.

2. Metallics. Gold, Silver, Bronze. Christmas is the time to use these colours aplenty. Whether as cutlery, a vase or using baubles on your table.

3. Foliage, it doesn't have to be shop bought, pop out with some pliers and get some holly or berries or treat yourself to some flowers for the Christmas table. Layer it up, place strands of foliage along your table and place flowers in vases.

4. Add layers to your home; a new linen tablecloth, a sheepskin throw on a chair, some napkins. It creates a visual feast for the eyes. Layer your crockery in different textures, colours and sizes. Trust me, it is so much nicer than having everything matching.

5. Scents. The small of tangerines, a scented candle, rosemary; add them all to your table so that it smells divine when you sit down to dinner

6. Glassware; in multiple colours, wine glasses or since it's Christmas, champagne glasses.

7. If you have kids, remember to include something for them too. Christmas Dinner is a long affair in their eyes. Can you make it easier? Perhaps the promise of after dinner chocolates or the promise of a Christmas afternoon board game?

The Christmas Table Part 1

I'm not one to go with traditional colours at Christmas, doesn't mean I haven't in the past but my decor lends itself to something a bit different, and here it is all about the layers, the ambience and feeling, the smell. This table is one I would use on Christmas Day itself.

Start with table linen (I chose pink to contrast with my dark blue walls from AlsoHome, but there are loads of beautiful colours to choose from, if you want a more traditional colour), the texture is amazing and you won't have to iron it; a double bonus at Christmas when all you feel like doing is snoozing in front of the fire. The crockery on this table is white and gold; a set bought for me by my late grandmother, something I treasure so much it only comes out on special occasions, perfect for Christmas Day. I've layered it with new crockery a side plate in light blue, from Habitat and added blue bowls from Rose and Grey, this brings in the colours of my room and the Heinz Mayonnaise Jars. Your table crockery doesn't have to match to look good; in fact it is better if it doesn't, a mix of crockery gives a more authentic look.

The wine glasses are from Cox and Cox as is the central oak display dome, which I have filled with flowers. Remaining glass object scan be found at Refound Objects. The Gold Cutlery is from Audenza

I've kept the foliage fairly traditional using cut fir branches to adorn the centre of the table, but I've added my own twist; fruit, something which is being seen increasingly more in floristry today. I added plums, pomegranates and figs (fruit readily available at this time of year and which bring memories of Christmas for me) to add some colour to my foliage. On my plates I've added a sprig of rosemary and a plum, but you could add name tags, flowers, cutlery or even your Christmas crackers. If you want to, add tangerines, pears, herbs, eucalyptus, they are all great extras and bring texture and smell to your Christmas table.

My mantle and shelving is covered in faux eucalyptus which looks surprisingly real with the added bonus of lasting throughout the Christmas season and when you are done, you can pop it in a vase for the rest of the year. I sourced mine from Fox Flowers

For the glass oak display dome, I simply cut a piece of florists foam and soaked it in water. I added berries, roses and faux succulents and a cherub, which you can source at Rockett St George.

Here you can see the deep blue colour of my walls painted in Rivington Blue by Abigail Ahern and how the Heinz mayonnaise jars really worked colourwise for my Christmas table. The reclaimed wood mirror is from Refound Objects and the industrial trolley by Cox and Cox. Presents are wrapped in paper from Paperchase. Foliage and flowers either came from my garden or The Green Room Florists.

Oh and don't forget Christmas Crackers!

Below you can see some more shots of this festive table

The Christmas Table Part 2a.

Want to do something a little different? I like to add something a little bit quirky to my table, perhaps not for Christmas Day, when I prefer to be little more traditional, but what about Boxing day or even better, guests for New Year?

So my second table has been designed in two parts, the quirky and the not so quirky and you can choose depending on your taste but the one thing that is consistent through out is the use of foliage and lots of flowers. I adore fresh flowers, but rarely buy them, choosing to save this treat for Christmas or my Birthday. Well this table has them aplenty, sourced both from my own garden and my local florist; the Green Room. I do all my own flower arranging, and will include some tips on how to do this throughout this section.

For this table, I wanted to include lots of jewel tones; think pinks, purples, navy blue and naturally green. To balance this I added a navy tablecloth as a base which tones with my navy walls and then a ruffled cream linen tablecloth to create a neutral base for all the colour I was adding. Both can be sourced from H&M.

I created two table wreaths using florists foam and foliage from my garden; eucalyptus, berries and any other foliage I could find. In the centre, I added rustic candles and then placed fruit around the base; you can see this in the shot adjacent. As before, I went with jewel coloured fruits-think pomegranates, plums, figs, but you could use any fruit you want; pears, oranges or even choose to use pine cones.

To make the wreath, soak the florist foam in water and then cut your foliage into small pieces. Working around the base, systematically, add foliage around the top and the sides, remembering to cover all the green foam. Mix it up for a more rustic look. I added blue berries to tone with my walls and tablecloth.

I've also styled a gold Persian Tray with goodies for after dinner-mince pies in particular, but there is no reason not to eat the same fruit you decorate with; figs are especially good with cheese. Remember to include something for the kids if you have them, I find gold chocolate coins a particular source of delight, but basically anything chocolate will do.

Down the centre of the tables I placed Eucalyptus branches and hung them over the end on the table. Two vases of flowers were also added to the ends of the tables, and then I added candles in glass holders and Christmas trees which you can source from Rockett St George.

In the vases, I chose Eucalyptus, Hydrangeas, Eryngium thistles, Astrantium, and Anemones.

For my crockery, I chose tones of blue and pink, see above. Light blue speckled dinner plates are topped with darker speckled turquoise side plates from Habitat. I then added pink plates and blue bowls from Rose and Grey. The deep navy side plates are from Dassie Artisan which sources hand crafted objects from around the world, gold cutlery as before. Napkins are linen, my preferred choice, H&M

Purple glasses are from RE found Objects

You can see more shots of this table below.

The Christmas Table Part 2b.

Here I have chosen to let the foliage and flowers shine on the table, removing the Christmas Trees and placing them on my Mantle. All Items as before.

The use of fresh eucalyptus and herbs creates the most amazing scent and evokes the feeling of the Christmas season. Naturally a fresh fir tree placed near the table will also add to the aromas. Remember it's all about creating ambience and stirring the senses.