Carrot & Star Anise Puree

If you fancy adding something a little different to the table on Christmas Day, this seasonal pure could be just the thing

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 35 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  223

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  11g

• Fat

  19g

• Saturates

  11g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  10g

• Salt

  0.3g

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1kg carrots, peeled and sliced
• small handful tarragon leaves
• 4 star anise
• 400ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 200ml double cream
• juice 1 lemon

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, shallow pan. Add the carrots, tarragon and star anise. Slowly cook for 10 mins until the carrots are glazed and starting to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then simmer everything for 20 mins until cooked and the stock has reduced.
2. Pour in the cream, bring back to the boil and simmer for 1 min more. Remove from the heat, take out the star anise and stir through the lemon juice. Season to taste, then blitz with a hand blender until as smooth as possible. The purée can now be chilled or frozen, then gently reheated before serving.

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Cranberry & Red Wine Sauce

Keep this Christmas-spiced cranberry sauce in the fridge for up to a week before the big day

• Cooking Time Prep 5 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  77

• Protein

  0g

• Carbs

  15g

• Fat

  0g

• Saturates

  0g

• Fibre

  2g

• Sugar

  15g

• Salt

  0.01g

Ingredients

• 400ml red wine
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 500g fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions

1. Put the wine, sugar, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick into a large, shallow pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cranberries and cook for 5 mins or until the cranberries burst and start to look jammy. Set aside to cool. Can be frozen or spoon into a jar and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

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Traditional Bread Sauce

Every Christmas lunch needs a big bowl of bread sauce on the table

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 10 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  124

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  12g

• Fat

  8g

• Saturates

  4g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  2g

• Salt

  0.31g

Ingredients

• 1 onion studded with 6 cloves
• 300ml milk
• 75ml double cream
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp butter
• freshly grated nutmeg, to season

Directions

1. Pop the onion in a pan with the milk, cream, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 mins. Pour the milk through a sieve into a jug, then return it to a cleaned pan.
2. Stir in the breadcrumbs, bring back to the simmer and cook for a few mins (add a splash more milk if you like your sauce thinner). Stir in the butter, season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg, then pour into a warm serving jug or bowl. Or leave to cool and chill or freeze for up to 1 month until needed.

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Brandy & Vanilla Butter

Not just for Christmas pud, this brandy butter goes perfectly with mince pies or spread over toasted panettone

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  294

• Protein

  0g

• Carbs

  23g

• Fat

  21g

• Saturates

  13g

• Fibre

  0g

• Sugar

  23g

• Salt

  0.46g

Ingredients

• 200g salted butter, softened
• 175g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste, or seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
• 5-7 tbsp brandy

Directions

1. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale, then whisk in the brandy, one tbsp at a time, until you are pleased with the taste. Scrape into a serving bowl and chill for 1 hr or for up to 3 days, before serving. Freeze for up to a month.

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Peas With Roasted Shallots

This flavoursome side dish of peas with caramelised onions from James Martin is healthy and versatile

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 15 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  176

• Protein

  8g

• Carbs

  25g

• Fat

  5g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  7g

• Sugar

  17g

• Salt

  0.03g

Ingredients

• 550g shallots, peeled and halved
• 85g golden caster sugar
• 1kg frozen peas
• bunch mint, chopped
• 3 tbsp good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• juice ½ lemon

Directions

1. Turn oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the shallots in the sugar. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan until hot, and add the shallots. Cook for a few mins to caramelise the outside to a nice golden colour, then transfer to the oven for 5 mins to cook through.
2. Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 2 mins until tender, drain and mix with the shallots, mint, olive oil and lemon juice. Season and serve with your favourite roast.

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Sticky Apple Cups

These simple dessert cups are made in the microwave and are brilliant to use up leftover dates and prunes

• Cooking Time Ready in 20 minutes
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 4

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  150

• Protein

  2g

• Carbs

  37g

• Fat

  0g

• Saturates

  0g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  7.6g

• Salt

  0.03g

Ingredients

• 2 medium Bramley apples, about 200g each
• 85g dried dates, roughly chopped
• 85g ready-to-eat prunes, roughly chopped or raisins
• 2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 small orange, zest and juice
• 0% Greek yogurt or fromage frais, to serve

Directions

1. Halve each apple through the circumference and dig out the core with a dessert spoon from both halves, leaving bowl-shaped hollows behind.
2. Mix together all the remaining ingredients except for the orange juice and fill the apples with the mixture. Fit them into a microwaveable dish and pour the orange juice on top. Cover and cook on Medium (500w) for 5-7 mins until soft. Cool for a few mins before serving with the yogurt or fromage frais.

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Maple Mustard Roots

The sweetness of this side dish makes it the ideal accompaniment to roast turkey

• Cooking Time Prep 15 mins
  Cook 35 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 8

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  135

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  22g

• Fat

  5g

• Saturates

  0g

• Fibre

  7g

• Sugar

  14g

• Salt

  0.21g

Ingredients

• 800g small carrots, peeled and halved or quartered lengthways if large
• 800g parsnips, peeled and cut into long wedges
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil

Directions

1. Bring a large pan of salted boiling water to the boil. Tip in the roots, bring back to the boil and cook for 3 mins. Drain well, then tip onto a large, lipped roasting tin. Whisk together the syrup, mustard and oil with some seasoning, then gently toss with the veg. Cover with cling film for up to 24 hrs.
2. Bring to room temp before cooking. After the turkey comes out, roast at 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for 30 mins until golden and sticky.

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Low-Fat Roasties

Enjoy these guilt-free roast potatoes - they contain around 6g fat compared to the usual 14g!

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 1 hr
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 2

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  201

• Protein

  5g

• Carbs

  35g

• Fat

  6g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  3g

• Sugar

  1g

• Salt

  0.2g

Ingredients

• 800g roasting potatoes, quartered
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 200ml vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the potatoes and garlic in a roasting tin. Pour over the stock, then brush the tops of the potatoes with half the olive oil. Season, then cook for 50 mins. Brush with the remaining oil and cook 10-15 mins more until the stock is absorbed and the potatoes have browned and cooked through.

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Celeriac Apple & Horseradish Mash

Try out a new way with root vegetables- serve celeriac mashed with sweet apples and fiery horseradish

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 20 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 4

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  73

• Protein

  3g

• Carbs

  11g

• Fat

  2g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  11g

• Sugar

  9g

• Salt

  0.5g

Ingredients

• 1 celeriac, about 750g, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 eating apples, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp creamed horseradish

Directions

1. Put the celeriac in a large pan of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 mins until tender, adding all the apple apart from a few pieces, for the final 5 mins.
2. Drain well and return to the pan, then mash until smooth. Stir through the horseradish and some seasoning. Garnish with the remaining apple slices, if desired.

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Pan-Fried Venison With Blackberry Sauce

Blackberries are delicious in savoury sauces, and this version is the perfect match for the richly flavoured venison

• Cooking Time Prep 10 mins
  Cook 15 mins
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 4

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  182

• Protein

  28g

• Carbs

  7g

• Fat

  5g

• Saturates

  1g

• Fibre

  1g

• Sugar

  7g

• Salt

  0.24g

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 thick venison steaks, or 4 medallions
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 150ml beef stock (made with 2 tsp Knorr Touch of Taste beef concentrate)
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 85g fresh or frozen blackberries

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, cook the venison for 5 mins, then turn over and cook for 3-5 mins more, depending on how rare you like it and the thickness of the meat (cook for 5-6 mins on each side for well done). Lift the meat from the pan and set aside to rest.
2. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, then pour in the stock, redcurrant jelly and garlic. Stir over quite a high heat to blend everything together, then add the blackberries and carry on cooking until they soften. Serve with the venison, celeriac mash (see below) and broccoli.

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