Christmas Food
A Survival Guide

Traditions are comforting things. But when it comes to Christmas food, they can be rather daunting ... at the very least for the reluctant cook.

Our traditional Christmas festivities have just so many recipes that we dig out only once a year - which makes them seem trickier than they really are.

So here's my survival guide to some of the Christmas foods most of us cook (or buy) only once a year.

December can be a very hectic time, so if you really can't face making pies, butters, puddings and sauces ... I've found you some really tasty ready-made alternatives, too.

The Bird

And if you buy your turkey frozen, make sure you allow enough time to defrost it thoroughly before you start cooking it. And - of course - remember to take out the bag of giblets ...

Sprouts

Get the kids to help peel them ... offer a reward for the one who does the most, that usually helps.

Brown some chopped bacon (or even the fancy pre-chopped pancetta), tip in the sprouts and turn them around until they're bright green. Then add the juice of one lemon and 1 tablespoon of Marigold bouillon mix (or a crumbled stock cube). Turn the heat down, clap on the lid and leave to sweat until the liquid is gone and the sprouts are soft. Ten minutes or so does it for me.

Sprouts sorted!

Puddings

If you have time, skill and the inclination, then you can make your own Christmas puddings. Then they'll taste just as you like them best ...

Alternatively, treat yourself and your family to this Traditional Christmas Pudding from Lakeland. It's very popular with their customers and gets only more so every year.

If Christmas pudding is not really your thing, then you can serve any number of tasty surprises at the end of the meal. Trifle is popular, as are many variations on ice cream.

But for many people, steamed puddings are almost a must ... maybe that's due to their comforting nature. Sticky toffee pudding, steamed ginger sponge or plum pudding are all popular. And if you don't want to make your own, you do have another option or three:

This Sharrow Bay Sticky Toffee Pudding looks simply to die for. I'm not sure I'd serve it at the end of the Christmas dinner, though. I'd want to appreciate it fully. So I'd leave it for an evening when I'm (almost) alone and only have a light supper before digging in.

I often buy these Individual Luxury Plum Puddings as a gift for friends and family abroad. They have that taste of yesteryear that a good traditional recipe should have. And they're fun to serve without having to spend hours in the steamer.

I must admit that ginger is not my favourite ingredient in sweets and puddings. So this Triple Ginger Pudding would not be my first choice. If you don't feel that way, I suggest you try it out, because it does look really yummy.

Cakes

Christmas cake is obviously high on everyone's list. But - as with many traditional recipes - it takes a while to get ready. I like to serve orange marmalade cake, which is quick and easy to make, but adds a real festive feel to proceedings and goes lovely with tea and mince pies.

And if you're a chocoholic - and I don't know many people who are not - then you might want to try making a chocolate yule log. Get the kids to help decorate ...

But even with all that preparation, you may still get caught out by unexpected guests, be they carol singers, the local vicar or your long lost cousin. For such eventualities, it helps to have a few boxes of these very tasty Miniature Mince Pies stashed away. So - like the boy scouts - you're always prepared.

Sauces

What makes Christmas food so special are the flavoured butters and sauces. The pickles and chutneys we serve with the cold cuts. Many of them are so central to Christmas, that we don't make or buy them at any other time of the year.

When was the last time outside of Christmas that made mincemeat or bread sauce?Have you ever tried your hand a making Cumberland Sauce or even cranberry sauce or do you tend to buy them ready-made?

And do you ever run out of pickles and chutney in the week between Christmas and new year however much you've bought or made to begin with?

I do. So here are a couple of store cupboard standbys to avoid the worst.

Decent mincemeat makes a good standby for impromptu puddings and cakes and this Rum and Brandy Mincemeat from Taylor's is very decent, indeed.

I'd never heard of Brandy Butter until I spent my first Christmas in England. Allegedly it dates back to the times of the gentlemen smugglers, who mixed the illicit alcohol into barrels of butter to avoid the tax man. True? I've no idea... but the accidental end result is very tasty.

I love pickles and chutneys of all kinds and tend to nose round gift shops and garden centres to see if I can find any unusual combinations. So Worcestershire Sauce and Gentleman's Relish were quite well-known, but Lancashire Sauce was a new one for me. Good with cold meat in sandwiches and great added to casseroles.