You know what it’s like: hordes for dinner, and panic in the kitchen is about
to set in. Don’t let it. With a bit of inspiration, some forward planning
and the courage to try something new, you can make your cooking a triumph.
From twists on the classic recipes, and delicious alternatives to the
traditional bird and pud, to timings, nibbles and seriously vampy veg, we’ve
got Christmas under control for you
Starters made simple
Imagine the perfect Christmas dinner. Candles lit, a beautifully decorated
table glittering with silver, glass and crackers, the air fragrant with the
scent of roast turkey – the very idea fills one with a warm glow. Now
consider the reality: a lovely table, gorgeous smells, contented guests and,
amid a pile of dirty pots and pans, a stressed, dishevelled cook. Seeking
perfection in a domestic kitchen at Christmas is the hardest call for even
the most experienced of chefs.
So, all these recipes aim to make your life easier. Plan ahead by following my
timeline as closely as you can – and, if you get a little behind schedule,
put out some nibbles for the baying crowds and they’ll never even notice.
ANYONE FOR A NIBBLE?
Guests always seem to arrive when you’re juggling the basting of the bird with
stirring the gravy, and the sprouts are starting to boil over. So, keep a
few of these at the ready, stick them on a platter and, no matter how
stressed you’re feeling, you’ll look as if you’ve got all the right party
tricks up your sleeve.
— Bigham’s Gourmet Drunken Devils on Horseback – a boozy version of prunes
wrapped in bacon, and a lot nicer than they sound. £6.99, from Waitrose
— The roasted Spanish piquancy of Brindisa’s Marcona almonds is a near
addiction for Eddie Hart, owner of the Spanish restaurant Barrafina.£3.95
for 150g, from Brindisa, Borough Market, SE1; www.brindisa.com
— Fortnum & Mason’s olive tapenade is delicious with rye crackers –
or simply with a spoon.£5.25; www.fortnumandmason.com
— Nibbles don’t come much simpler than Olive Nere Cassanesi – Calabrian black
olives marinated with herbs and chilli.£4.95; www.carluccios.com
— Maria Balfour, of the premium food service Effortless Eating, loves Doctor
Karg’s emmenthal-cheese and pumpkin-seed biscuits (£1.85, from www.optimumfoods.co.uk),
served with Waitrose pecorino and pine-nut dip (£1.59 for 200g).
— His high-class take on ready meals is the height of good taste. Serve Tom
Aikens’s tomato and apple chutney with cubes of cheese.£4.95; www.tomskitchen.co.uk
— Beetroot is good for the heart, and at Christmas you should take your health
kicks where you can find them. Taste the Difference beetroot and horseradish
dip, £1.49, from Sainsbury’s
— With the 1970s vibe coming back into style, dish out some Daylesford Organic
brazil nuts for a healthier, more modern twist on Abigail’s Party. £2.95,
from Selfridges
— We’ve all been passing its food off as our own for years, and here’s
something else you could have made earlier: mini smoked-salmon and
soft-cheese bagels. £4.99 for 12, from Marks & Spencer
— Sara Adams, from the top London restaurant Kensington Square Kitchen, always
gives guests wasabi nuts – delicious and, happily, a superfood.£2.39 for
250g, from Whole Foods Market; 020 7368 4500
WHERE TO GET YOUR BIRD
— KellyBronze turkey, for the most gamey, dense-fleshed bird around. From
£60.25; www.kelly-turkeys.com
— Free-range organic turkey, hand-plucked and hung for at least a
fortnight.From £70; www.copas.co.uk/turkey
— An organic free-range bird, from one of the most experienced organic
producers (in its 20th year).From £40.95; www.graigfarm.co.uk
— Free-range Blue Slate turkey is the most sumptuous in the supermarkets. £7
per kg, from Asda
— Fortnum & Mason’s free-range turkey comes with its own device to
show when it is done.From £63; www.fortnumandmason.com
IT’S HOW BIG?
Never mind avian flu – the nation is suffering from turducken syndrome (as in
turkey, duck, chicken), the craze of eating not one bird at Christmas, but
three or more, boned, stuffed and tucked inside each other like an edible
Russian doll. There’s barely a mail-order farm shop or food hall in Britain
that isn’t offering complex culinary taxidermy.
One of the best options comes from Seldom Seen Farm, in Leicestershire, which
makes 2,600 goose-chicken-pheasant combos a year, stuffed with pork and
orange (about £15 per kilo; www.seldomseenfarm.co.uk).
Selfridges also does a fine goose/chicken/pheasant with truffled pata negra
pork, apricot and foie gras (£180), and there’s a good version with apple
and apricot stuffing from Booths (£60).
This year’s award for bird innovation, however, goes to Heal Farm (www.healfarm.co.uk),
an ethical-farming pioneer and award-winning multibird veteran, which has
brought out the first 12-bird roast. It weighs 25kg (55lb), contains breast
meat from 48 birds, takes 10 hours to cook and is too large for all but the
biggest domestic oven. It also costs £665 – not bad when you consider it
feeds 125. Just think: you can invite all the neighbours over for lunch. Bet
you can’t wait.
Lucas Hollweg
WHERE TO BUY PUDDING
CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS
— Our hot tip is the Authentic Bread Company’s pudding: nicely spiced and full
of organic booze.£10.95; www.abel-cole.co.uk
— Rémy Martin Christmas pud is deliciously fruity, with a kick. £12.99,
Waitrose
— A large Carved Angel pudding, made to Eliza Acton’s world-famous recipe.
Sold in a ceramic bowl.£16; www.thecarvedangel.com
— Aunt Alice’s Christmas pudding, a favourite of Jamie Oliver.From £11,
Borough market, SE1; 07986 598407
— A luxury Christmas pudding made at the family-run Craigie’s Farm, near
Edinburgh. £10; www.craigies.co.uk
CHRISTMAS CAKES
— Popina’s luxury Christmas cake is moist, boozy and visually stunning.4.5kg,
£90; www.popina.co.uk
— The Meg Rivers Classic Iced Christmas Cake comes in a Cath Kidston tin; £5of
the pricegoes to charity.Feeds 16, £38; www.megrivers.com
— The Jewel cake is light and fruity, topped with glacé apricots, orange
slices, cherries, plums, brazil nuts and pecans.1kg, £12.99, from M&S
— Harrods’s iced Christmas cake is spicy and luxurious.1kg, £20
— Bettys’ soft iced snowflake cake is another classic from the traditional
Yorkshire bakers. 1.6kg, £25; www.bettysbypost.com
MINCE PIES
— Waitrose luxury butter mince pies have a wonderfully crumbly pastry.£1.99
for six
— Sharpham Park’s spelt mince pies are a relatively healthy option, but still
have a deliciously nutty flavour. £6.50 for six; www.sharphamparkshop.com
— For tangy mincemeat wrapped up in organic pastry, you simply can’t
beat Abel & Cole’s offerings. £3.75 for six, www.abel-cole.co.uk
— Bettys’ star-topped mince pies, cooked to a traditional homemade recipe, are
as attractive as they are tasty. £16 for 12; www.bettysbypost.com
— Konditor and Cook’s cakes are renowned for being among the best, and its
mince pies don’t disappoint. £5.65 for six; www.konditorandcook.com
CHOCOLATES
— Milk-chocolate Marc de Champagne truffles – Prestat has been making quality
chocolate for more than 100 years.200g, £12; www.prestat.co.uk
— Mr Ozinda’s fine chocolate assortment is the richest you’ll find at the
supermarket. £9.99, from Tesco
— Parisians know how to make seriously good chocolate, like Pearl of Ganache.
£36 for 20; www.lamaisonduchocolat.co.uk
Cioccolatini d’Oro brings a touch of Italian good taste.£9.95 for nine,
Carluccio’s
— Hotel Chocolat’s Hand Piped Selection – if you’ve not tasted these, you
haven’t lived. £16.75 for 30, www.hotelchocolat.co.uk
