It's no coincidence that some of the biggest feasts of the year take place in the deepest winter. Even going back to the stone-age, there is evidence that the biggest feasts took place in what is now late December. Getting everyone together to share in each other's company - and most importantly, hearty food - helped to celebrate the worst of the winter being over. Things don't tend to change and all across the world we associate winter with big, rich, saucy meals with lots of flavour and lots of condiments.
Fighting Stains at the Sauce: Stain Free Festive Feasts
Big flavour often means big stains, and it doesn't take long for a new winter wardrobe to accumulate an array of stains and spots from spilt sauces. So we've put together a menu, made up of a few of the most popular common condiment culprits, taking a look at why they can be so difficult, and how Vanish makes stain removal such a breeze.
For Starter:
Soup
Now this isn't technically a sauce, but it is something eaten over the holidays that leaves some particularly tricky stains. Soups often use big bold flavours, with big bold colours waiting to meet your best clothes. Acting straight away, the best tactic for soup stain removal is to rinse, then generously apply Vanish Gold Oxi Action, leaving it to work for up to an hour, before washing on a regular wash with the essential scoop of Vanish.
The Main Course:
Gravy
Gravy can mean lots of different things all over the world, but here we're referring specifically to a rich brown sauce of thickened meat juices - a must with a roast dinner. The high fat content of the gravy makes these stains particularly tricky, but taking some Vanish Gold Oxi Action Gel, and gently massaging it into the affected area, should get to work in dissolving the stubborn fat cells. Then launder with an extra scoop of vanish to make sure that the gravy boat has sailed!
Mustard
The yellow paste is a particularly tricky stain, so speed is your most important ally here. Scrape off as much as you can, but be careful not to damage any of the fibres, and then rub a paste of Vanish Gold Oxi Action and water into the stain. Leave for ten minutes, and then rinse out from the inside. Launder immediately with an extra scoop of Vanish.
Cranberry Sauce
Like redcurrant sauce, and quince jelly, cranberry sauce is a fruity jelly, packed with lots of the fruit and tons of flavour that can be served with both sweet and savoury dishes. The bright red jelly quickly clings to fibers, but can be easily removed. If you catch it quickly, you can usually run water through the back of the stain to simply rinse it out. If a red mark remains, then some Vanish Gold Oxi Action applied directly to the stain, with an extra scoop in the wash, will send it packing.
For Dessert:
Compote
Cheesecakes, trifles, gateaux and pavlovas, none of these would be complete without a nice thick layer of fruit compote. While the desserts themselves might not pose much of a stain threat, this rich sauce certainly does, and is a potential nightmare for clothing. Apply the Vanish Gold Oxi Action by dabbing and blotting, rather than rubbing, to avoid spreading the syrupy stain further. Leave this to soak in for ten minutes before laundering with a scoop of vanish to break down the remaining stain.