Have a green holiday

The Ecologist has some good advice for anyone trying to have a green holiday, including a Seasonal Survival Guide. They also have a seasonally-adjusted contemporary Pantomime, by Paul Kingsnorth, a fun take on Jack and the Beanstalk.

What I liked best was the recipe for Mulled wine, a drink we Swedes call Glögg - impossible to spell or pronounce in Japanese!

What you need:

1 bottle red wine
60g/2oz demerara sugar
1 orange, halved
1 dried bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
grated nutmeg
60ml/2fl oz sloe or damson gin
(optional)

How to make:
1. Put the wine in a saucepan with the sugar, orange, bay leaf and spices.
2. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add sugar to taste.
3. Take off heat and stir in the sloe or damson gin if you are using it.
4. Strain into heatproof glasses and serve immediately.

In Sweden we also add raisins and blanched almonds, and some people like it with slices of (organic) oranges too.

Och för alla mina svenska läsare runt om i världen kan jag inte låta bli att lägga en länk till Djungelns Pajas från svensk TV som jag hittat på YouTube. Omöjligt att begripa varför de valt att visa just den filmsnutten varenda julafton sedan 1970-talet... God helg!