TOGETHER at Christmas
When it comes to Christmas recipes, everyone has their must-haves, the dishes that are never optional. Yet, each year, there’s always room for new, clever tricks and flavour twists to keep things fresh and make cooking as stress-free as possible. There’s a no-cook starter, crisp-skinned turkey, stuffing that doubles as a veggie main and vegan gravy, plus get-ahead tips and a time plan. Christmas should be enjoyed by all, especially the cook – and this menu should ensure everyone’s relaxed for the big meal.
MENU
Festive seafood sharing platter
Peppered lemon & thyme turkey with golden crackling
Triple-nut roast & sage stuffing
Piglets in pancetta blankets
Next level roasties
Brown butter carrots & sprout petals
Winter-spiced sweet & sour braised red cabbage
Microwaved crushed creamy celeriac
Vegan gravy base
Smoky bay bread sauce
Easy cranberry & orange relish
SHARING STARTER
Festive seafood sharing platter
Spend less time in the kitchen on Christmas Day with this simple starter. It requires almost no hands-on time and utilises shop-bought elements for ease, but still feels luxurious and looks impressive on the table.
SERVES 8-10 PREP 15 mins NO COOK EASY
100g gravadlax, or use 200g smoked salmon
100g smoked salmon
150g cooked prawns, shells on
crackers, sliced sourdough, sliced rye bread or shop-bought blinis, lemon wedges and caperberries, to serve
For the hot smoked trout pâté
120g hot smoked trout
100g full-fat soft cheese
2 tsp capers, drained
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
For the red onion & dill prawns
100ml soured cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise
½ small red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped dill, plus extra to serve
½ lemon, juiced
1 tsp hot sauce
250g cooked prawns, shelled
1 For the pâté, blitz the trout, soft cheese, capers and mustard in a food processor, then season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to two days. For the prawns, mix the soured cream, mayo, red onion, dill, lemon juice and hot sauce in a bowl, then toss in the prawns to coat. Will keep covered in the fridge for a day.
