S.A.N.T.A. Syndrome to hit homes across the UK this Christmas.
Will you be suffering from S.A.N.T.A. syndrome in your kitchen this Christmas?
A survey polled by Berkeley Scott Ltd - Chef recruitment specialists found that amongst those cooking Christmas Day lunch, a staggering 75% will be suffering from SANTA syndrome.
SANTA syndrome is the name devised by Berkeley Scott to describe a range of symptoms displayed when under pressure to cook Christmas lunch for large groups of relatives.
Sweating - Excessive sweating before and during preparation of the meal. Attention Deficit - Inability to follow simple recipes and hold concentration. Nausea - Constant waves of nausea, before and during preparation. Tension - Tension across neck, shoulders and forehead, resulting in headaches. Adrenaline Rushes - Peaks in adrenaline during co-ordination of cooking times
The top 5 reasons for causing this syndrome are:
Fear of undercooking the turkey.
Fear of general criticism of food from ungrateful relatives.
Fear of unexpected guests with special dietary needs.
Pressure of catering for a large amount of people.
Pressure to ensure everyone enjoys themselves.
To avoid suffering from this syndrome, Berkeley Scott asked top London restaurants for tips on how to ensure cooking Christmas day lunch is stress free and painless
Prepare as much as possible the night before and clean out your fridge so you have plenty of storage space.
Don't let guests join you in the kitchen to talk. Well meaning guest can cause terrible distractions.
Nominate someone else to fix drinks for guests to leave you to concentrate on cooking.
Set the table the night before including name setting to ensure harmony at the table.
Don't try any new recipes. Now is not the time to be adventurous. Stick to simple, the classic Christmas dinner and embellish with glazes, herbs and spices.
Berkeley Scott is the UK's leading provider of recruitment solutions to the Hotel, Hospitality and Catering industry, with specific Chef divisions in every office.
