The Goya Guide to Hosting this Holiday Szn!
The Singleton Social x Nicobar collection is inspired by celestial design but rooted in discovery of elements, impeccable serveware, and epicurean experiences in the modern home. Born out of a dreamy collaboration between Diageo India and Nicobar, The Singleton Social Nicobar is paving the path to more meaningful interactions over easy social evenings, with its exquisite teal tinted collection for your dining, décor and linen needs this holiday season.
This year, ditch the late-night parties and invite your loved ones to celebrate the holiday season at home, where let’s face it – the best food (and drink) ALWAYS is! Gather indoors as the temperatures drop, fill up the house with cozy Christmas vibes and huddle around the warm mugs of hot cocoa. Tis the season to chill! Your moment to build authentic connections over epicurean experiences with your loved ones with the assistance of The Singleton Social x Nicobar’s lifestyle collection bathed in tranquil teal toned linens, glassware and bar accessories you need this holiday season.
Set the mood with The Singleton Social x Nicobar’s teal Pacific Lantern for a warm hue and glow or simply light a couple of fabulous Highland Island candles. Drape the fairy lights nonchalantly around your windowsill. Fluff up the warm corners with a throw or a blanket for your guests (and pets) to cuddle up in. A hum and slice of a well curated playlist in the back will set the mood without jarring the conversations- think jazz trios for a sophisticated soiree or good ol’ Christmas carols on the piano for wholesome family gatherings. Do an Alice Waters and burn a sprig of rosemary for woodsy aromas, if you will.
Taking inspiration from rustic but elegant Garden Round grazing boards from The Singleton Social x Nicobar dining collection, let festivities take a more casual setting as you pick food off the table together. Fill up the boards with store bought assortment of cheeses, fresh seasonal strawberries with a drizzle of aged balsamic, scatter some dried fruit and bits of crusty bread to mop it all up. If cheese and fruit are not your thing, some peeled raw winter red carrots and peppery radishes for a rough crudité platter with a bowl of hummus for the table with the Good olive oil, that nobody will oppose. The Mandovi Chip and Dip platter will happily hold your cream and onion chips that must be mandated on all grazing tables – their intense dry garlicky saltiness goes with just about everything.
A fresh festive table cloth can breathe new life onto your dining table which has likely seen mostly an assortment of packages and half-eaten biscuit wrappers for the majority of the year. Consider this Celestial Table Runner infused with graphic detailing for your alfresco dining situation. Don’t even contemplate putting out matching sets of plates and cutlery, it’s stress you don’t need. This is your moment to pile up your handcrafted ceramics collected on travels, impulse bought at flea markets or perhaps made at a pottery class! Though I may recommend acquiring the gold rimmed Oceanum Coasters from The Singleton Social x Nicobar collection for a fun novel pop of blue crabs and starfish on your table.
Save yourself the flutter of à la minute cocktails and batch them beforehand! I’m a bitters fiend so I love a good old-fashioned cocktail with smoky sweet whiskey, brown sugar and maybe homemade bitters. Make it prior, perhaps in this carafe, stash it in the fridge and serve on ice in an old fashioned glass. You can lay out a variety of citrus that your guests can choose from to personalise/garnish their own drinks. If you’re leaning sweet and creamy, a cinnamon-coconutty Puerto Rican style coquito will bring its tropical-pina colada-but not- vibes with the warmth of rum and grated nutmeg. The Singleton Social x Nicobar collection is your best friend here - consider splurging on the gold finished Aurum Bar tools to supply your loved ones with experiencing and assembling craft cocktails in the comfort of home.
Might I suggest Dishoom’s fine rendition of Britannia’s chicken berry pulao, as a stress free one pot dinner opportunity? Especially when you’d rather be spending time doing up the Holiday feels instead of slaving over an elaborate time-consuming feast. This one’s a crowd pleaser, what with its tart cranberry pops – it’s giving Christmas! A minimal effort, low maintenance but incredibly joyous biryani dinner. The way I do it is cook the various elements over the few days ahead in a super chill setting to let time do its thing to fry the onions, marinate the meat and then be entirely relaxed on the day of. For the vegetarians, Archana Pidathala’s Vankaya (Eggplant) Biryani from her seminal cookbook Five Morsels of Love promises similar rewards and is even better when made the day ahead, too. Highly encourage a raita to be served with both to balance the rich spice. Azra Abrahams’ beloved family recipe of butter garlic piri piri chicken in the Goya x Nivaala cookbook has been my platonic ideal of a roast chicken dinner that feels festive, no matter the time of year and not even counting the fact that it takes about a minute’s effort to prepare.
If you’re willing to deep fry for a sensational side dish, then I’ll direct you to Fuchsia Dunlop’s Fish Fragrant Aubergines from her travel memoir – Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, A Sweet -Sour Memoir of Eating in China. Contrary to the name, there’s no fish in here whatsoever but refers to the style of the sauce. She describes it as “golden, buttery fried aubergines cooked in a deep-red, spicy sauce, with no actual fish but seductive hints of sweet and sour.” You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten deep fried baingan, and in this Chinese sauce with Chinkiang black vinegar – its unctuous, buttery mouthfeel is the star.
For dessert, give yourself the time off and acquire a boozy fruit cake from a great neighbourhood bakery that soaked all that fruit in dark rum for the last year, so you didn’t have to. Or pre-order yours from The Farm, Chennai who bake it in their woodfire oven. Maybe have your home baker friend attempt Hailee Catalano’s fig frangipane tart and bring it over! Consider decanting some French brandy into a carafe, ready to sip on for Christmassy warmth to gab till the wee hours.
While all this may entail some effort, remember that this is your home and your party, the brief is for you to have the best time – add/eliminate at your pleasure. Wind down and relax with your loved ones, contemplate the year that was. And one that can be.
The Singleton Social x Nicobar is all about exploring meaningful experiences around epicurean adventures and discovery in culture, art, gastronomy. A platform for tastemakers and tasteseekers to mingle in a vibrant, culturally enriching community. Join The Singleton Social India community on their Instagram page.
Images courtesy Nicobar. Food partner Caara.
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