Christmas Recipes

The traditional sauce for Christmas pudding is a "hard sauce", that's to say brandy butter but I can't help feeling that this corner-cutting…Read on

For me the only turkey is a brined one. Not only does it tenderize and add subtle spiciness, but it makes carving the turkey incredibly…Read on

I often give homemade chutneys to Italian friends when I visit, as I’m proud of our traditional recipes and know that an English…Read on

This recipe is my own but at the same time a conflation of a couple of Italian Christmas must-haves: the glorious, fruit-studded panettone…Read on

This is the perfect recipe for using leftover chicken or turkey at any time. A jicama is sometimes known as a Mexican potato, though…Read on

For someone who’s never been to Vietnam, I am piling up quite a few recipes which are Vietnamese in inspiration if not origin.…Read on

Salted caramel is not just for eating....Read on

I have written a recipe for panettone stuffing before: the sweet seasonal fruit bread was cubed, toasted and mixed with Italian sausage;…Read on

You just cannot beat a pav in summer, and in particular this dark beauty. The crisp and chewy chocolate meringue base, rich in cocoa…Read on

I don’t deny it: there is something unattractively boastful about calling one’s own recipe “ultimate”. But…Read on

It is not quite normal to feel as joyous as I do when saying the words “Brussels sprouts”, but this recipe does not merely…Read on

This is an Italian-inspired recipe that comes to me from Australia via Brazil. To explain: a Brazilian friend, and the best cook I…Read on

This is a sleight of hand, or a trick of equipment rather than an act of brilliance. True, the cake does look incredibly complicated…Read on

To make this brandy butter you will need to have prepared my Salted Caramel Sauce.Read on

I have never quite understood how people can go in for vast, rich breakfasts on Christmas morning.  I am hardly a modest eater…Read on

This is the way I make my mince pies, and there is no changing me or them: they are small, to be popped straight into the mouth in…Read on

I'm almost embarrassed by how easy these are.  It's true that you do need a processor, though you could just chop well and whisk…Read on

I love recipes using up leftovers, and this is a particular favourite because it suddenly goes off on another tangent, so to speak.…Read on

This has many strings to its bow: it serves as a vegetarian alternative to the Christmas turkey; it gussies up a plate of cold leftover…Read on

On days when I want the warmth of the hearth rather than the hurly burly of the city streets I stay in and read cookery books, and…Read on

There are few more popular ways to end a dinner party than with a fallen chocolate cake – the cakes are so called because they…Read on

If you're going to get started, this is the cake you should begin with. Not just because it's simple - though it is - but because…Read on

I’ve always roasted honeyed parsnips alongside a turkey but as a marker of the culinary special relationship celebrated at Christmas,…Read on

I’ve encountered quite a few versions of chocolate salame in Italy – coming to the conclusion that it’s really an…Read on

Ever since I overcame my prejudices about buying pre-chopped fruit and veg, my cooking life has got a lot simpler. And you should…Read on

I couldn’t help myself. I can’t have a party without some cocktail sausages and wanted to make them just a little bit…Read on

Only those who have never tried this raise an eyebrow at the idea. Don't hesitate, don't be anxious: this really works. No one who…Read on

Forget the name, this cake is heavenly. The crumb is tender, the filling and frosting luscious.  When I made it one friday, I…Read on

No one is ever going to complain about having one of these in their lunchbox, and they're pretty handy to have around in the kitchen…Read on

This is a new variant of an old and easy party favourite. The dough is mixed up in the processor and rolls out easily.  It may…Read on

This is another of my maternal grandmother's recipes. I've changed it a bit, not least substituting dark rum for her juice and zest…Read on

I know it might sound a bit of a faff, but take it from me that stuffing a whole double breast joint is very much easier than stuffing…Read on

I know the recipe looks finicky, and I can’t promise it’s a doddle, but it works easily and you will soon find you are…Read on

I love these dark, fat patties of chocolate shortbread exuberantly topped with festive sprinkles. There’s something so cheering…Read on

Sometimes, it makes sense to use one’s obsessions to advantage. I know that most people don’t have trivial light-bulb…Read on

I've long been tinkering about with a bottle of Bailey's, seeing how it could best be called upon in the kitchen, and I think, with…Read on

When I was a child, I don’t think fresh cranberries were ever seen in England. For me, cranberry sauce came out of a jar –…Read on

Although I call this chilli jam, I don't mean by this that it's the sort of thing you'd spread on your toast at breakfast (though…Read on

This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can't say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly…Read on

There is something so magnificent about a whole pumpkin stuffed with jewelled rice, that it doesn’t really need too many side…Read on

This is incredibly easy to make; even if you're stressed out, it won't topple you over into nervous collapse. It's such an accommodating…Read on

It’s not that I felt my usual Rocky Road Crunch Bars needed any improvement (though fiddling with recipes is one of life’s…Read on

I don't think I could write a book that didn't include a recipe for trifle somewhere - and this, I tell you, is the trifle to end…Read on

At this time of year, I like to make cakes with spices. I love the smell that spreads in the house when I bake. This spice cake is…Read on

Mince pies have always been the first treat of the festive season in my household. However, I have always dreaded coming acoss a bitter…Read on

Express and instant mouthfuls of Christmas treats.Read on

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