While Christmas morning might not be the same as when I was a kid, racing down the stairs to see if Santa came, it still retains a certain type of magic; cozy pajamas, wool socks, Christmas bows stuck to unbrushed hair and crumples of colourful paper strewn everywhere.  It’s one of those mornings where we all ignore the growls of our empty stomachs as we laugh and smile and cheer with our family over coffee and presents.

But the gifts will come to an end eventually and we’ll have to crawl out from under the Christmas tree and cook something.  My family likes to do a big brunch with eggs and bacon and pancakes and potatoes and so much more.  I am definitely going to be making pancakes this year with a holiday mix from Lannie Rae Gourmet.  I discovered the Canadian brand earlier this year via the Shop Local Canada directory and before then I had no idea how many very cool, very tasty, Canadian food brands were out there!  I’ll still visit my local grocery store for fresh food but now I buy my mustard from Winnipeg, Manitoba and my hot sauce from Salt Spring Island, BC and my pancake mix from Cochrane, Alberta!  I can’t ever go back to the generic brand names – I’m eating better than I ever had!

But let’s get back to my Christmas morning feast.  I love how the pancake mixes from Lannie Rae Gourmet are plant based and free of dairy products so its up to you whether to use real milk or an alternative.  I’ve tried them both with buttermilk and oat milk and the oat milk was still just as divine.  It’s going to make it so easy to accommodate the multiple dietary restrictions in my large family.  I was also incredibly impressed at how flavourful the pancakes were.  Not even drowning them in maple syrup could dull the incredible flavour of Rum & Eggnog.

When Christmas morning arrives I will, of course, serve the pancakes on my beautiful, ceramic, serving platter. I have the complete serving set from Muraï Céramique that includes the 11” platter, four matching plates and two small bowls which I will use to lay out some pancake toppings.  I will also make use of my matching maple syrup jug (which will double as a gravy boat later on in the evening) to set a beautiful table for a very delicious meal on my favourite day of the year.  All I can say is, I hope it snows!

October 25, 2021 — Rhiane Heslop