Around this time every year, when Christmas is around the corner, I always promise myself the same thing; this time I’ll be much more organized, everything will be scheduled with precision and I will finally have some proper time to enjoy the holiday season without being stuck in the kitchen for hours on end!

Christmas is a bit unusual this year and since almost everything is shut down and most of us are working from home, time is basically all we have. But this wasn’t the case back when things were normal! Christmas meant getting together with our loved ones, especially those who don’t live nearby, my daughter first and foremost.. These days are normally all about endless walks around the city centre that is beautifully decorated with holiday lights, gift shopping and coffee dates with girlfriends that always magically turn to afternoon wines and dinners at our favourite restaurants. Simple, unscheduled, stress-free fun times!

There were times I missed some of these beautiful festive moments just because I wanted everything to be perfectly prepared for our Christmas dinner and time was obviously never on my side. But what does perfect even mean? I always had a very clear vision of how I wanted things to be done, and I always wanted more! That’s where I need to remind myself of the promise I’ve made; a promise to quit striving for perfection and cherish the moments I have with my loved ones. We can’t go back in time and we won’t be here forever. That's the valuable lesson we've been taught this year.

I can happily say I’ve made great steps towards that direction but there’s still a long way to go. I still manage to always find excuses to do that little extra something I believe will make a difference and still spend so much time being stressed out about all sorts of unnecessary things. After all, is that extra hard work and effort, that time spent in perfecting minor details so important or is it the simple things in life that actually matter the most?

Our Christmas dinners are getting more and more diversified by the year; from classic, traditional Christmas recipes to vegan and vegetarian dishes, the goal is for everyone to be happy and well pleased! But let’s not forget that every home has its own traditions and habits that feel special and unique to each of us!

As much as I love experimenting and trying out new recipes, some of the classics cannot be missing from our Christmas dinner with roast pork being on top of the list, no doubt about it.

It’s an all-time favourite, traditional Greek Christmas dish and although we very rarely eat pork in our home, this is one of our most loved festive recipes ever. This year is no exception, only this time I opted for pork knuckles!

We all know pork and fruits are a match made in heaven, so this is the perfect opportunity to make use of our fragrant homegrown quinces that I personally love incorporating into savoury recipes and for a more festive, hearty winter dish, I’ll also add a few chestnuts. Then I’ll just leave the casserole in the oven for hours until I almost forget about it. That’s what we call a melt-in-your-mouth pork roast!

If you decide to actually make this recipe, make sure you don’t stint on the quantities; I bet it will disappear in no time. You might also need to schedule your time wisely. As you know, the oven is always full these days and good planning is key to ensure everything is ready on time. Remember that roast pork takes at least 2-3 hours to cook!