The most wonderful time of year for many can bring with it the most wonderful amount of stress when it comes to hosting. Getting things just right when the extended family is over brings a pressure like no other.
In the myriad of things to consider this Christmas, the meditative practice of cooking is often anything but.
This is why it’s usually better to take thinking out of the equation and let the experts come up with the best festive ideas for you to deploy.
Be it the best way to prepare for the big day itself, what to eat in the lead up to December 25, or how to utilise all those leftovers, this handy little guide should prove useful for any host with the most this holiday season.
My top tip for Christmas involves Brussels sprouts. Everyone’s tired of over cooked, boiled sprouts, so a better way of cooking them is to peel off the outer leaves, keep them attached to the stalks and cut them in half. Toss these in a tablespoon of oil — you want them as lightly coated as possible — and then season with flaky salt, pepper and place into a roasting pan, cut side down. Drizzle with a little Worcestershire sauce and a few knobs of butter scattered among the sprouts. Roast for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees until the spouts are crispy on the cut side and cooked through. Decant into a bowl with all the roasting juices which should be very reduced, and serve.
José Pizarro, José Pizzaro, Lolo
Supplied
For the best stuffing, use carne de salchicha catalana or butifarra (Catalan sausages) as the base. Soak dried apricots and dried plums in brandy, then chop and mix everything together with the carne de salchicha catalana before using it to stuff the turkey or a chicken. The sweetness of the apricots and the plums will cut through the richness of the bird and the slightly spicy notes of the salchicha catalana will add a deep richness of flavour to the stuffing. My top tip: allowing the fruit to soak and absorb the brandy overnight, this maceration will enhance the sweetness.
Filippo La Gattuta, Big Mamma Group
An incredible way of using your Christmas leftovers is by making turkey croquettes. All you have to do is chop up your turkey and add cheese and herbs of your choice. Roll them into polpette (balls), bread them and fry. Or for a classic simple and easy canape — which has the handy benefit of using up old parmigiano — chop up the rind into chunks, then microwave it till it puffs up and is crunchy. This becomes a delicious, cheesy and salty snack.
Top tip: leftover panettone
Ravinder Bhogal, head chef at Jikoni restaurant
Matt Writtle
There’s always so much of it gifted at Christmas, so use it in an unexpected savoury way. Cut or tear the panettone into bite size pieces; melt butter and infuse with chopped sage and garlic before pouring over the panettone pieces on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle over black pepper and finely grated parmesan and bake at 200 degrees Celsius until crisp and golden. Run the croutons through salads, roasted vegetables or Brussels sprouts — they bring a sweet, festive and delightfully unexpected flavour to the Christmas table.
Richard Corrigan, Bentley’s, Corrigan’s, Daffodil Mulligan & The Portrait
Top tip: veggies and bread sauce
My top tip for a calm kitchen at Christmas is to keep it simple with your vegetables. Just one or two root veggies will do — you’ll save on hob space and on the washing up. Take carrots: keep them whole and throw them in with your roast potatoes with some olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. The caramelisation brings added flavour and it makes plating up so much easier. That way you can concentrate on the main event.
Another tip, with any leftover bread sauce, I like to make a savoury bread pudding. Take about half a pint of bread sauce, add two eggs and mix well. Pour the mixture into a terrine mould or loaf tin and bake it slowly in the oven. Chill and serve sliced, topped with turkey breast or cold ham.
Mike Davies, The Camberwell Arms
The best Christmas tip is to plan ahead by spreading prep across a day or two. My book Cooking for People offers shopping and prep lists for each menu, helping you structure your time, and it includes some great vegan and veggie centrepiece options. For example, the celeriac Wellington is a great vegan showstopper, it’s easy to prepare in advance and you don’t need to compromise on glamour! For an easy, make-ahead appetizer, the scotch bonnet pork fat on toast is a delicious Camberwell Arms classic and is as easy to make as it sounds.
Abby Lee via press
Black pepper crab is probably one of my favourite dishes in the world, usually served with huge mud crabs tossed in a wok with a wonderfully moreish and peppery sauce. I’ve condensed this flavour bomb into a bite, perfect for Christmas. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter with a few drizzles of neutral oil, pop in some curry leaves for a second and sauté black pepper, shallot, garlic and shrimp for a few minutes until fragrant. Stir in white crab meat, oyster sauce, soybeans, light soy and sugar, and let it all bubble and get everything well coated. Toast the blinis, top each one with 1/2 tsp of crème fraiche, heaped tbsp of the crab mix and a coriander leaf.
Eleanor Henson, Spring at Somerset House
Top tip: de-bone the turkey
My top tip? Ask your butcher to debone your turkey for you. You can then put the stuffing inside the bird before rolling and cooking. This keeps the turkey incredibly moist, saves space in your oven and means you can use the turkey bones to make a delicious gravy. Plus, it’s much simpler to serve than carving.
Top tip: family style serve
My top tip would be to serve Christmas dinner Blacklock style (naturally). Stacking your carved turkey, veg and roast potatoes atop charcoal-grilled flatbreads. When you bring the feast to the table, pour over generous lashings of gravy. Not only does this create a fantastic spectacle, but by the end of the meal the bread will be saturated with all the delicious Christmas dinner flavours.
Will Murray and Jack Croft, Fallow, Fowl and Roe
Top tip: deep fry for texture
Jack Croft, William Murray and James Robson of Fallow
Fallow
If you’ve got a deep-fat fryer, elevate your Christmas dinner with some impressive veg. You can deep-fry your Brussels sprouts until they’re crispy, then toss them in a spicy Sriracha-butter sauce for an extra kick, or for parsnips, steam them until tender, then deep-fry twice to get that perfect golden, crispy crunch. These upgraded veggies will bring a whole new level of texture to your holiday spread.
Top tip: Boxing day breakfast
My go-to use of leftovers is a Boxing Day breakfast, made up of a fried egg sandwich with a bit of stuffing fried in a pan or crisped up in the oven, on top of the egg with some HP sauce. I can’t remember where I first saw the idea, but it’s an upgrade on your classic Christmas turkey sandwich.
Top tip: leftover turkey paratha
Got guests on Boxing Day? I recommend making a stuffed leftover turkey paratha. Firstly, chop your turkey, and mix any leftover vegetables with some spices (red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, and cumin powder), plus a little green chilli for heat and coriander for freshness. If you love cheese, add cheese. Combine everything and stuff it into a wholewheat dough (made with wholewheat flour, salt, and water). Roll the dough out and cook both sides on a griddle. Spread some butter. When it’s lovely and crispy and golden, you’re ready to eat. You could also use the same mix to stuff into naan bread, or to make a deliciously Christmassy toastie.
Top tip: a simple, effective canape
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For an easy Christmas canape which is both dead easy to make and quite impressive-looking, go for devils-on-horseback. You’ll have nuts and fruit and bacon for the turkey lying around at Christmas, so it uses up some leftovers too. Stuff some prunes with some smoked almonds, wrap them in bacon and bake them in the oven and you’ve got this mega little canape, ready to go, which really doesn’t take much work!
Top tip: using leftovers in a salad
This light and refreshing salad makes for the perfect lunch post-Christmas and should use up a few leftovers. Start by making a dressing: blend a generous handful of fresh tarragon leaves with 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar and the juice of one lemon until smooth. Gradually pour in 180ml of olive oil, then season with a pinch of salt and sugar, blending again and adjusting to taste. For the salad, separate 2 heads of chicory into leaves, thinly slice 2 celery sticks, and peel and slice 1 clementine. Toss with the tarragon dressing, then top with a handful of roasted chestnuts.
Top tip: brine your turkey
My top tip is to brine your bird, always. It makes a huge difference. I like a 5 per cent brine with spices and a touch of brown sugar. You can do this up to a day ahead and then dry and leave the bird uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin. Also, don’t stress too much about getting everything done just in time to sit down. Cook your sides and all you can ahead of time and then reheat in the oven, on the hob, or even outside on the BBQ!