Perfect Turkey Giblet Gravy

Serves: 6

• 3 tablespoons turkey dripping
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 600ml (1 pint) turkey stock
• 4 tablespoons chopped and cooked turkey giblets
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt to taste

1. Heat turkey dripping in a large frying pan over medium heat; gradually add flour and stir until golden brown.
2. Slowly whisk in turkey stock until blended and smooth. Stir in giblets, and season with sage, pepper and salt. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Traditional Bread Sauce

Serves 8

• 110g (4 oz) unsliced, day-old white bread
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 6 to 10 whole cloves, according to taste
• 1 bay leaf (fresh if possible)
• about 8 black peppercorns
• 600ml (1 pint) full-fat milk
• salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 50g (2 oz) butter
• 2 tablespoons double cream

1. Begin by removing the crusts from the bread. Tear bread into pieces and pop into a food processor and blend until you have fine crumbs.
2. Cut the onion in half and stud with the cloves.
3. Place the studded onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, milk and a pinch of salt into a heavy based saucepan. Over a low heat, bring almost to the boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Leave the mixture to infuse for a couple of hours or more.
4. When you are ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns with a slotted spoon. Now over a medium heat, bring the milk back to simmering point and then beat in the breadcrumbs and half of the butter. Lower the heat and bring back to a gentle simmer.
5. Stirring frequently, cook the bread sauce for 10 to 15 minutes by which time the crumbs will have swollen and thickened the sauce.
6. Just before serving, beat in the remaining butter and the cream and season to taste with salt and freshly milled black pepper. Serve in a warm sauce-boat, jug or serving bowl.

Red Potato Roasties with Rosemary

Serves 4

• 1kg (2 1/4 lb) red potatoes, cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 250 C / Gas mark 8.
2. Place potatoes in a large roasting tin and toss with oil, salt, pepper and rosemary until evenly coated. Spread out potatoes in a single layer.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Perfect Roast Turkey

Serves 24

• 1 large whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 500g coarse salt
• 125g butter, melted
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 250ml dry white wine

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the coarse salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting tin. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting tin, and cover with the white wine.
4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 74 degrees C. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Bacon rosemary stuffed mushrooms

Serves 6

• 100g bacon, chopped
• 30g butter
• 250g mushrooms
• 2 sprigs rosemary, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 150g grated Edam cheese

1. Separate the mushroom stems from the caps. Chop the stems and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook onion till soft. Add chopped mushroom stems and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in another frying pan, cook chopped bacon till crisp. Drain fat from pan. Add bacon to the mushroom mixture along with the cheese and rosemary. Stir well.
4. Fill mushroom caps with cheese mixture. Place in a baking tin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas 6.
6. Bake stuffed mushrooms for 15 to 20 minutes.

Almondy mince pies

Makes 12

• 225g/9oz plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 140g/5oz chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 55g/2oz ground almonds
• 25g caster sugar
• 1 egg, yolk only
• 55g/2oz golden marzipan
• 170g/6oz vegetarian mincemeat
• 2 tbsp sherry
• caster sugar, for sprinkling
• cream, custard, or brandy butter, to serve

1. Put the flour in a blender with the cinnamon. Add the butter and blitz to form fine breadcrumbs. Add the almonds, sugar, egg yolk and 2-3 tbsp of cold water and blitz to form a soft dough. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, chop the marzipan into small pieces. Stir into the mincemeat, along with the sherry.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Thinly roll out the pastry and cut out twelve 7.5cm/3in rounds. Place the rounds in a greased 12 hole tart tin. Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cases.
4. Cut out 12 stars and place one on top of each tart. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve with cream, custard or brandy butter

Christmas cake pops

Makes 12

• 400g/14oz Christmas cake
• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate
• 100g/3½oz white chocolate
• sprinkles, to decorate

1. Break the Christmas cake into pieces then whizz in the food processor for a few minutes to turn into crumbs.
2. Divide the mix into 12 and shape into balls. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
3. Melt the chocolates in separate bowls, over pans of simmering water or in a microwave.
4. Make a hole in each ball with a lolly stick, then dip the end of the stick in the melted chocolate and place back in the hole. Repeat with the other sticks and leave to set for about 30 minutes.
5. Re-melt the chocolate if necessary, then, using a teaspoon pour the chocolate over a cake pop, holding it over the bowl. Work quickly to get a smooth finish. Tap the cake pop on the side of the bowl to get rid of the excess chocolate, then stick into a piece of polystyrene or upturned colander while you coat the rest of the pops.
6. Once the chocolate has set slightly, but is still sticky, coat in sprinkles then leave to set completely.

Sticky toffee Christmas pudding

Serves 6

• 125g/4½oz dates, stones removed, chopped
• 75ml/2¾fl oz water
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 50g/1¾oz butter, unsalted, plus extra for greasing
• 175g/6oz demerara sugar
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 100g/3½oz mincemeat
• 1 tbsp chopped glacé cherries
• 175g/6oz self-raising flour

For the sauce

• 150g/5½oz butter
• 150g/5½oz soft dark brown sugar
• 150ml/5½fl oz double cream, plus extra to serve
• 100g/3½oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), grated

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Heat the dates, water and bicarbonate of soda in a saucepan over a low heat until simmering, stirring well to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the dates break down into a paste. Remove the date mixture from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
3. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, then mix in the eggs, cooleddate mixture, mincemeat and glacé cherries until well combined. Do this a little at a time, starting with the eggs and beating well after each addition.
4. Technique: Creaming butter by hand
5. Watch technique0:50 minsWatch technique0:50 mins
6. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in gently.
7. Grease six 100ml/4fl oz pudding basins with butter and line the bottom with a disc of greaseproof paper.
8. Divide the batter among the six pudding basins, then place the pudding basins into a roasting tin and bake for 25- 30 mins, or until until well-risen and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
9. Meanwhile, for the sauce, heat the butter, sugar and cream together over a high heat for 5-6 minutes, or until it is a smooth mixture. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated chocolate until smooth.
10. Technique: Creaming butter by hand
11. To serve, turn the puddings out onto each of six serving plates, spoon the sauce on top and drizzle over some cream.

Christmas Stollen

Serves 15

• 2 teaspoons dried active baking yeast
• 175ml (6 fl oz) warm milk (45 C)
• 1 large egg
• 75g (3 oz) caster sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 75g (3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 350g (12 oz) bread flour
• 50g (2 oz) currants
• 50g (2 oz) sultanas
• 50g (2 oz) red glace cherries, quartered
• 175g (6 oz) diced mixed citrus peel
• 200g (7 oz) marzipan
• 1 heaped teaspoon icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• toasted flaked almonds for sprinkling on top

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, caster sugar, salt, butter, and 3/4 of the bread flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition.
3. When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, sultanas, dried cherries and mixed peel. Continue kneading until smooth, about 8 minutes.
4. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Lightly grease a baking tray. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal.
6. Place the loaf, seam side down, on the prepared baking tray. Cover with a clean, damp tea-towel and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 150 C / Gas mark 2 and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Allow loaf to cool on a wire cooling rack. Dust the cooled loaf with icing sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon and finish with toasted flaked almonds.

Chocolate fruit cake

Serves 12

• 350g/12oz dried soft prunes, chopped
• 250g/9oz raisins
• 125g/4oz currants
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
• 175g/6oz dark muscovado sugar
• 175ml/6fl oz honey
• 125ml/4fl oz coffee liqueur
• 2 oranges, juice and zest only
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tbsp good quality cocoa
• 3 free-range eggs, beaten
• 150g/5¼oz plain flour
• 75g/2½oz ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

For decoration

• 25g/1oz dark chocolate covered coffee beans
• Disco Gold hologram glitter
• 2mm gold mini balls
• approx 10 gold stars

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas mark 2.
2. Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm/8in, 9cm/3½in deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of bake-o-glide or other reusable silicon-baking parchment. When lining the tin with the bake-o-glide, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it’s easier to use two shorter strips of bake-o-glide, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.
3. Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange juice and zest, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for ten minutes. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.
5. Carefully pour the fruit cake mixture into the bake-o-glide lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1¾-2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a cake tester into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.
6. Place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.
7. To decorate, place the chocolate covered coffee beans in the centre of the cake and arrange the gold starts around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole of the cake. Sprinkle the Disco Gold Hologram Glitter over the top of the cake.