Egg and Bacon Pie
This recipe (which started off as Boxing Day Pie) comes from Beryl Scoffield, the mother of one of my oldest friends, and a woman with a reputation for her pies. It’s wonderfully old-fashioned and com…
View recipeChristmas Turkey Alternative
Whether you are looking to replace your Christmas turkey or are just searching for some inspiration for a Christmas brunch we have the perfect Christmas recipes.
From a Boxing day Egg and Bacon Pie (although no need to save this for Boxing Day!) or the continental inspired Seafood Pot these simple Christmas turkey alternative recipes will help to ease the stress of Christmas catering.
For even more ideas have a look at our Christmas ham recipes.
Ginger-Glazed Ham
This gammon is simply simmered in ginger ale and, although you need to strip off the rind to glaze it, the glaze is straightforward. And it is a very efficient way of cooking — depending on how many y…
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Turkey Breast Stuffed With Italian Sausage and Marsala-Steeped Cranberries
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 and rolling a single breast joint, as is more commonly found in s…
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Ham in Coca Cola
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 cooks it, cooks it just once: it always earns a place in every repert…
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Maple Chicken 'N' Ribs
The recipe title says it all. You need no more than a few minutes to load up a couple of freezer bags (I wash mine and re-use them) with ribs and chicken, oils and unguents and then, after a day or so…
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Seafood Pot
This makes for a very quick, warming and yet elegant supper. A fennel salad before or after would be lovely, but you need no more with it than just some bread for dunking.
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Butternut Squash With Pecans and Blue Cheese
Although this started off as a Christmas-time recipe, I have found that I cook it pretty much year round: the sweet squash is tangily countered by the blue cheese and the nuts bring gorgeous crunch, t…
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Roast Stuffed Pumpkin With Gingery Tomato Sauce
There is something so magnificent about a whole pumpkin stuffed with jewelled rice, that it doesn’t really need too many side dishes to detract: its starchy interior means you can forgo potatoes or th…
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Hearty Wholewheat Pasta With Brussels Sprouts, Cheese and Potato
It is not quite normal to feel as joyous as I do when saying the words “Brussels sprouts”, but this recipe does not merely use said much-denigrated ingredient, it also celebrates it. Sprouts are nutty…
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Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham
Nothing will ever take the place of my Ham in Coca-Cola from Bites — in my heart or on my table — but this slow-baked ham is a revelation of a different sort. The meat is astonishingly tender and carv…
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Roast Duck with Orange, Soy and Ginger
In How to Eat, I had a method for cooking roast duck that involved poaching them on the stove, letting them cool and then roasting them in a hot oven. It worked, giving tender meat and fantastically c…
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Roast Rib of Beef With Port and Stilton Gravy
There is something about a big rib of beef sitting proudly on its carving board at the table that makes that table, and those around it, so immediately celebratory: this is a proper, stand-up-and-clap…
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Roast Goose With Pear and Cranberry Stuffing
While it’s true that goose has the older pedigree as the traditional Christmas roast, I find it suitable only if you haven’t got a huge tableful to feed: I reckon that you can feed six comfortably wit…
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Norwegian Pork Ribs
A vital part of the Christmas Eve dinner in Norway, these pork ribs have the tenderest meat and the crunchiest crackling imaginable. You have to take a leap of faith when making them, as the idea of l…
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If you're looking for Christmas recipes to accompany these recipes try our simple Christmas side dishes.