Our Ultimate Christmas Cookbook for 2023

Sweet Treats

Who doesn’t love a festive sweet treat? Well we certainly do. Here are our tasty treats that you can treat yourself to this festive season.

Gingerbread Pancakes

Whether you are looking to serve up a seasonal breakfast or fancy a late-night sweet treat, these Gingerbread pancakes are an easy sweet fix for late-night snackers or the sweet-tooth-in-the-morning kind of person.

Ingredients:

• 150g self-raising flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• Maple Syrup (optional)
• 200ml of a milk of your choice
• Oil, of your choice

Method:

Step 1

Put the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Combine the egg, maple syrup and milk in a jug. Gradually add to the dry ingredients, whisking until a smooth, silky batter forms.

Step 2

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat and ladle 2-3 small rounds into the pan. Cook for 1-2 mins until bubbles start to appear on the surface, then flip over and cook for a further 1 min until fluffy. Do this in batches until you have 10 pancakes.

Step 3

Serve in a stack, with extra maple syrup and enjoy.

The Perfect Christmas Truffles

An easy sweet treat to make which will always go down well with friends. The perfect Christmas truffle is one of our favourite sweet fixes to make over Christmas and as a bonus – they ever do well as gifts.

Ingredients:

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 150g milk chocolate, chopped
• 150ml double cream
• 50g unsalted butter
• Cocoa powder, sprinkles, lustre powder, icing sugar, chopped nuts – for coating
• Flavourless oil – we’ve found sunflower oil is best to use

Method:

Step 1

Put the dark and milk chocolate in a bowl, then put the cream and butter in a pan and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until it melts. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for 7 hrs.

Step 2

Put the coatings into separate bowls. To shape the truffles, lightly rub your hands with flavourless oil and roll teaspoons of the truffle mix between your palms – this can get messy, trust us.

Step 3

Gently roll the truffles in the bowl until evenly coated, then put in a box and chill.

The most stunning seasonal mains

The main attraction has arrived! From the luscious gravy to nibbles for a spread, we have you covered with these two unmissable dishes to make whatever the weather. Trust us, nothing tastes more like Christmas like these.

Succulent Beef Joint

Who doesn’t love a beef dinner? Well, we for sure do. With this amazing recipe, you can make the most succulent beef joint that you’ll have ever eaten, right from the comfort of your own home.

Ingredients:

For the beef:

• 2 tablespoons of peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons of fennel seeds
• Beef joint – the size of your choice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of English Mustard
• 2 red onions and sliced into rounds.
• Thyme leaves to serve (optional)

For the gravy:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of cornflour
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 3 tablespoons of redcurrant jelly
• 400ml red wine

Method:

Step 1

Crush together the peppercorns and seeds in a saucepan with the end of a rolling pin or similar. Brush the beef fillet all over with the mustard, then roll in the peppercorn mix to coat. Cover and chill.

Step 2

Two hours before you are ready to start cooking, take the beef out of the fridge to come to room temperature.

Step 3

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a pan big enough to hold the beef, and brown the beef all over, seasoning with salt. In a roasting tin, use the onions as a bed to sit the beef on – pat on any spices that have fallen off. Roast for 20 mins for rare, 25 mins for medium, and 35 mins for well-done beef.

Step 4

Lift the beef from the tin and rest it on a platter, covered with foil to keep it hot, for about 30 minutes. Set the tin with the onions and roasting juices over the hob and stir in the oil, cornflour, and crumbled stock cubes. Mix in the jelly, then gradually stir in the wine and 400ml boiling water, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom. Simmer for 15 mins until reduced a little. Season, then sieve into a clean pan to keep warm, discarding the onions. Slice the beef, scatter over the thyme if you like, and serve with the gravy. Delicious.

Perfect Pigs in Blankets

Everyone loves a pig in a blanket, right? They are the most delicious side dish to serve alongside your mains or even as a tasty snack in the festive season. We’ve even got 3 tasty twists for you in this recipe including black pudding, butternut squash and chestnuts – take your pick – and they are super easy to make too.

Ingredients:

• 8 rashers of bacon
• 16 chipolatas

Method:

Step 1

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the bacon rashers in half. Wrap a piece of bacon around each of the chipolatas.

Step 2

Place on a baking tray and cook for 30-35 mins until golden. Take out and serve. Super tasty.

Delicious Drinks

Let’s give our drink selection this festive season something to ho ho ho about with our favourite selection. It’s time to have a little tipple and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, don’t you think?

Classic Mulled Wine

Save yourself the queues at the Christmas markets this year and make your own super tasty mulled wine in the comfort of your own home – the perfect pairing drink to the perfect Christmas movie marathon we’re sure to be having.

Ingredients:

• 750ml bottle red wine
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 2 stripes of orange zest
• 2 tablespoons of caster sugar

Method:

Step 1

Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins.

Step 2

Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.

Step 3

To serve, heat without boiling, stir in the sloe gin (if using, see tip below) and pour into mugs or heatproof glasses. Stunning.

Fizzing it up

We all love a little bit of fizz, so why not give our Passionfruit and Elderflower Spritz a whirl? This is a stylish drink that everyone at the party will love, and is the perfect alcohol-free mocktail to enjoy. It’s fruity, fizzy, and ever-so-festive.

Ingredients:

• 50ml passion fruit juice
• 25ml lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of elderflower cordial
• 150ml sparkling water
• 1 teaspoon of passion fruit seeds to serve.

Method:

Step 1

Make sure all the ingredients are well chilled before you start. Ideally, chill a flute glass too. Pour all the ingredients into your glass, taking your time when you add the sparkling water, so it doesn’t overflow, then stir gently.

Step 2

Drop in a few passion fruit seeds to garnish and enjoy with your friends.

So we think it’s time to get creative in the kitchen and have a go at some of these luscious recipes for the festive season. Whether you’re entertaining or enjoying some self-care time, these Christmassy choices are the perfect way to treat yourself over the festive season.

Tag us in your festive fun on our socials so we can see your festive recipes.