No matter how experimental you are when it comes to culinary delights, at Christmas most people rely on the tried and tested. Which family doesn’t have one dish that is served at the big festival year after year? Goose, carp, bratwurst or like in my family: cold platter with everything the delicatessen department has to offer. But even in this routine, things can go wrong. I will never forget that Christmas Eve when the neighbor’s cat feasted on the smoked salmon stored on the terrace.