Christmas Recipes

Preparing the Christmas Day meal can be a little daunting even for those who know their way around the kitchen, and if you like to prepare most of the meal from scratch then this can be extremely time consuming. Here are a few homemade recipes that can be made in advance, helping to save you time on Christmas Day, so that you can spend more time enjoying the festivities.

Christmas Pudding (Serves 4–6)

What you need:

75g self raising flour, 75g breadcrumbs, ½ tsp nutmeg, cinnamon & mixed spice, 350g mixed dried fruit, 125g brown sugar, 1 carrot (grated), 1 apple (grated), 1 tbsp marmalade, 50g suet, 50g melted margarine, 1 tbsp golden syrup, lemon rind (grated), 1 egg, 1 tbsp lemon juice, milk & brandy.

How you do it:

1. 01. Mix everything together & stand overnight. More brandy can be added if you like.
2. 02. This can be cooked as individual puds in dariole moulds or teacups or as a single pud in a 1 kilo pudding basin. Cover the pudding with a layer of baking parchment paper & foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion. Tie securely with string & trim off excess paper & foil with scissors.
3. 03. The steaming time will depend on the size of the pudding, but as a guide this one can be steamed for 3 hours to start with.
4. 04. Alternatively it can be “nuked” in a microwave. Cook on high for 5 minutes, leave to stand for 5 minutes repeating the process & then finally cooking for 4 minutes.
5. 05. When cooked through, remove the pudding from the pan & cool completely. Discard the paper & foil & replace with fresh. Allow to cool & store until Christmas. Steam for 3 hours before serving. Flame with brandy & serve.

Pigs in Blankets (Serves 8)

What you need:

6 slices of streaky bacon, 18 cocktail sausages & 18 sage leaves.

How you do it:

1. 01. Stretch each rasher of bacon with the back of a knife & cut each one into 3.
2. 02. Lay a sage leaf on the edge of each piece of bacon with a cocktail sausage on top of the sage, roll the bacon to wrap the filling. Place each one onto a lightly oiled baking tray.
3. 03. If you are freezing them, place the tray in your freezer compartment & after a couple of hours when they are frozen decant into a freezer bag or suitable container. When needed thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
4. 04. Cook in a preheated oven (Gas 7/220C/200C fan) for about 30 mins or until cooked & crisp. Serve hot with the roast turkey.

Sausage, Sage & Onion Stuffing

What you need:

2 onions (chopped), 25g butter, 1 small Bramley apple (peeled, cored & diced), 2 x 400g packs of meaty Cumberland sausages (remove from their skins), handful of sage leaves (chopped), 140g granary breadcrumbs, seasoning & a few slices of streaky bacon to top.

How you do it:

1. 01. Fry the onions in the butter for a few mins until translucent, then add in the chopped apple & cook briefly.
2. 02. Cool & then mix with the sausage meat (removed from skins). Add in the sage, breadcrumbs & some seasoning. Use to stuff the neck end of the turkey, or pack the whole mixture into a 1kg loaf tin.
3. 03. If freezing, cover & freeze until the day before you need it, then defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking.
4. 04. Before cooking top with the slices of streaky bacon & bake with the turkey for 30–40 mins, drain off any fat & serve sliced.

Note: If you prefer, this mixture can be rolled into balls & cooked in a greased baking tray.

Cranberry Sauce

What you need:

12oz cranberries, 125ml orange juice, 75g white sugar, ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract & 2 tbsp orange zest.

How you do it:

1. 01. Add all of the ingredients into a saucepan & stir to combine. Bring to the boil over a medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
2. 02. Reduce the heat & simmer for about 10 mins, again stirring occasionally. The cranberries will burst as they cook.
3. 03. Allow to cool completely & decant into a sterilised container. This can be made a few days in advance & stored in the refrigerator until needed. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.