Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Good Food

Are you an all-or-nothing, no holds barred, throw-everything-at-it Christmas cook? If so, you’ll love our cover feature of festive centrepieces (p21), designed to wow, impress and knock the socks off your family and friends. If you prefer an easier option – still spectacular, of course – Barney Desmazery’s ingenious, easy menu means that you can feed a crowd on the Big Day with minimum effort and just five ingredients in each recipe (p36). This month we also introduce our new-look, tip-packed cooking skills section: learn to make killer roasties, a Wellington with welly and find out how to use up leftovers in the most imaginative ways, from page 115. Wishing you a very happy Christmas from the team at BBC Good Food.…

HOT TREND: VOL-AU-VENT Retro revivals are at the forefront of many trends. There’s been a low-level buzz about that 1970s cocktail party classic, the vol-au-vent, for several years now, but Tom Kerridge’s new opening at the Corinthia Hotel in London, Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, has brought the buzz to a roar and taken the vol-au-vent to new heights. Kerridge fills his starter-sized vol-au-vents with a lightly spiced Cornish crab mix, tops them with a rosette of radish and a squidge of avocado and serves them with a jug of intense crab bisque. You’ll also find them on the menu at Pique-Nique (an early adopter) in Bermondsey, The Duke of Richmond in East London, Trinity in Clapham and Ladurée in Harrods. Think bigger than a party-sized bite and try our recipe…

BEST CHRISTMAS FOOD EVER Whatever your festive catering conundrums, cook Catherine Fulvio and former Great British Menu champ Paul Ainsworth aim to inspire, with celebrity guests Martine McCutcheon, Christopher Biggins, Debbie McGee and Anita Harris. Weekday afternoons from 10-21 December on BBC One. NADIYA’S PARTY FEASTS Nadiya Hussain travels across the country for this hour-long special, meeting people who have their own reasons to celebrate, before hosting a party for her friends and family. Expect top tips for nibbles, platters and sides and, of course, sensational puds and cakes. December on BBC Two. Kathryn Custance…

Padstow is a unique town with an eclectic mix of restaurants. Everyone knows that they have to up their game to keep holidaymakers coming back, and they do. My three favourite dishes on the menu at my restaurant, Paul Ainsworth at No 6, are the chicken ‘tournedos rossini’ – (a chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and shallots, served with liver parfait and brioche rolled in chicken skin). It’s an iconic dish and I love our lighter version, showcasing the best Cornish chickens; the Barkham blue cheese, apple pie & Cornish Orchards cider – this means so much to me as it reminds me of my dad; and the smoked haddock quiche Lorraine – it only has a few basic ingredients but they’re special when put together. My favourite places to…

No spare time to dust off the cocktail shaker, crush ice or make your own infusions? We’ve gathered some simple, two-ingredient drinks (not including ice and garnish) that are big on flavour, low on effort and leave you plenty of time to spend with your guests. Cheers! Vermouth & soda SERVES 1 PREP 5 mins EASY V 50ml vermouth (red,whiteorrosé) sparkling water, to top up (around 200ml) For the garnish 3 green olives, skewered on a cocktail stick lemon slice Fill a highball glass with the ice, then pour in the vermouth and top up with the sparkling water. Garnish with the skewered olives and lemon slice. GOOD TO KNOW vegan • gluten free PER SERVING 54 kcals • fat none • saturates none • carbs 1g • sugars none…

Ice cream cookie sandwiches Use the cookie dough recipe to make large cookies (8cm or so) baking them for 12-15 mins at 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Use the cookies to sandwich your favourite ice cream. Cookie sundaes Use the mini cookies to make hot chocolate cookie sundaes. Layer the cookie nuggets with ice cream and warm chocolate and/or salted caramel. Choc-orange cookie pie Give the giant cookie pie a citrus twist by adding orange zest and chunks of Terry’s Chocolate Orange…

Funfetti biscuits MAKES 32 round biscuits or about 120 square bites PREP 30 mins plus chilling and cooling COOK 10-20 mins per batch (about 40 mins) EASY V 200g butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 85g golden caster sugar 80g ground rice 225g plain flour 6 tbsp funfetti or sprinkles 1 Put the butter, vanilla and sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the ground rice, then stir in the flour and sprinkles. If the mixture starts to get dry, use your hands to bring everything together and make a smooth dough. 2 You can now choose between two different types of biscuit. If you want to make round ones, divide the dough in two. Lay out a piece of parchment or…

Celeriac is a true wonder ingredient. I get so genuinely excited when it comes into season, I’ve been known to stand in the middle of the greengrocer’s, blissfully inhaling its scent like a mother sniffing her newborn’s head. And you should, too. Get excited I mean, rather than the sniffing – or do both. While it might look gnarly and unapproachable, once you get past its craggy, bulbous exterior, the pearly flesh of celeriac makes it one of the most versatile and delicious vegetables we have. The first time I ever tried it was as a child on a family camping holiday to France. My mum brought out a packet of it finely julienned, laced with mayonnaise, from a local shop, and we ate it on crusty French bread with…

Food Glorious Food: Dinner with Dickens We get many of our Christmas traditions from the works of Charles Dickens. A new exhibition in London, guest-curated by Pen Vogler, a writer specialising in food history, explores the role of food in Dickens’s life and work – and the childhood memories he kept hidden until he died. (28 November-22 April 2019). See dickensmuseum.com. Hampton Court Palace: Festive Fayre Meet BBC Good Food contributors and experts, watch cooking demos and soak up the festive foodie atmosphere, from 7-9 December. Visit hrpfoodfestivals.com for details and to book tickets.…

Seared duck with ginger mash SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 25 mins EASY * 25g fresh ginger, peeled small orange, zested and the juice of half 340g duck breasts, skin removed and halved lengthways 160g sweet potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced 125g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 2 tsp rapeseed oil 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 160g broccoli florets 160g Brussels sprouts, peeled 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder few leaves fresh parsley or coriander (optional) 1 Cut 4 thin slices of the ginger and shred, then finely grate the remainder. Rub1/4 tsp each grated ginger and orange zest into the duck breasts, then grind over plenty of black pepper and set aside. Put both types of potato into a steamer and cook…

‘At the Academy of Cheese (academyofcheese.org), we operate a certification programme, which starts at Level One and progresses through to the Level Four certificate – Master of Cheese. Level One is positioned for all cheese lovers. On successful completion, you’ll have improved your cheese knowledge, have an increased appreciation, and learned the full spectrum of variety through critically assessing 25 iconic cheeses. Here, I’ve selected six cheeses to introduce the Academy’s Structured Approach to Tasting, which requires a pre-taste and taste assessment of the cheese. By following these simple steps, you will be able to better identify different styles of cheese, while also building a common language of tasting. Try it for yourself with friends – it’s a great conversation starter!’ Cheese-tasting steps TASTING TERMINOLOGY Outer The wrapping or covering…

The humble pea has long been a popular staple of British cuisine, but we tend to cook and serve it in the same simple ways over and over again. Birds Eye Petits Pois are no ordinary peas, however, so they deserve special treatment in the kitchen. Birds Eye’s premium pea is smaller in size but bigger in taste than other types of pea. Full of goodness, both in terms of flavour and nutritional value, Birds Eye Petits Pois are renowned for the burst of delicious sweetness they add to dishes. This defining characteristic is what makes them so loved and the perfect addition to a wide range of tempting recipes. Christmas is all about going the extra mile when it comes to food, and Birds Eye Petits Pois were made…

In 2018, new food and drink products are widely regarded as self-justifying. Different is de facto desirable. In this era of information overload, novelty sells, as long as it looks great on Instagram. To question this is to be shouted down as a Luddite. Ask, ‘is a world in which I am being told to drink frosés (rosé slushies) or milkshake IPAs (lactose-sweetened beers flavoured with, for instance, marshmallows or waffles) one which is going to hell?’ and you will be derided as an old killjoy. It is often implicit by the very marketing of these drinks – there is big money in this constant ‘innovation’. But this Christmas, I am asking you to inject a little scepticism into your drinking. We need to interrogate our alcohol intake and demand…

We’re entering a very social and, potentially, very boozy time of year. Which is great, up to a point. But how best to manage that balance between having a good time and becoming a human husk? How does one tread the line between looking forward to the next exhilarating glass of fizz or restful pint of beer and thinking dark thoughts about entering 2019 as a born-again teetotaller? Here’s my seven-point guide on how to slow things down just enough to manage a full diary and get the most out of every second (and every glass). 1. Love every drink. Seriously. This is the rule that rules them all. If you’re not quite enjoying that glass of wine or fourth cocktail, put it down. 2. Start soft (not all the…

Sölden, Austria Best for wine tasting & Bond scenes A contender for the world’s most dramatic restaurant setting, Sölden’s Ice Q (iceq.at) can be reached by futuristic gondola. The brief but breathtaking journey is good preparation for the excitement ahead: the building’s modern steel structure and floor-to-ceiling windows offer awe-inspiring valley views from the summit of the Gaislachkogl mountain. It’s also home to the new 007 Elements experience (007elements.soelden.com), where visitors can immerse themselves in all things Bond. Interactive galleries explore iconic action sequences, high-tech gadgets and the secrets behind the Spectre scenes that were filmed here. More importantly for food lovers, Sölden hosts the Wein am Berg food festival (25-28 April 2019) every year, which sees world-renowned chefs create dishes to complement high-end Austrian and German wines. This year’s…

star letter Having watched the BBC documentary Drowning in Plastic , I was horrified to see the true extent of the consequences of our love affair with plastic. I was delighted to read your article about pick ‘n’ mix frozen food (Oct), and have decided to utilise this at our local farm shop, as well as buying their veg box, which includes vegetables grown on their farm (without packaging). I’m also planning to find a butcher where I can take my own containers, rather than buying it in packets. By supporting local businesses, we’re able to reduce plastic use and send a message to large supermarkets that using so much plastic is not okay. Sarah Sutherland, Hampshire Sarah wins four bottles of Champagne Taittinger Nocturne City Lights…

★ Asma Khan The pioneering founder of Darjeeling Express cooks with our columnist Emma Freud (p134). ★ Henry Jeffreys Our Wine Club expert has created a seasonal case – the perfect gift for a red wine lover. Turn to p104 for details. ★ Dan Doherty Leftovers get the star treatment in a brunch recipe by the judge of BBC Britain’s Best Home Cook’s on p103. Best of the BBC ★ NADIYA HUSSAIN Caramel soda bread, p13 ★ ROSIE BIRKETT Inspiration for seasonal celeriac, p71 ★ TOM KERRIDGE New Year’s sharing menu, p88 ★ DAN DOHERTY Brunch quesadillas, p103 ★ RICK STEIN Rick and sons get festive, p106 ★ EMMA FREUD Saffron chicken korma, p134 ★ JOANNA BLYTHMAN How to help stop plastic waste, p141…

What is it? Made from the juice of unripe grapes, the name means ‘green juice’. As the grapes aren’t fermented, it’s non-alcoholic. It’s long been made by farming communities – you may have come across it as verjus in France, agresto in Italy, ab ghooreh in Iran or hosrum in Lebanese cuisine. What does it taste like? Although tart, it’s milder than lemon juice or vinegar, so gives a gentle acidity. Use it to deglaze a pan, add brightness to dressings or drizzle it over veg. What else can I do with it? Try it in a cocktail with gin and rosemary for a twist on a tom collins, or paired with avocado in a savoury jelly for an on-trend canapé. You’ll also find a recipe for chicken with rosemary,…

Wobbly desserts Expect to see blancmange and jelly on your dessert table this season. Lakeland recently reported that sales of its jelly moulds were up 293%, and that was before blancmange featured on this year’s Great British Bake Off, which increased its popularity even further. Black Forest And talking of retro desserts, Eighties classic Black Forest gateau is back too. We’ve noticed a prevalence of chocolate and cherry desserts both in supermarkets and on restaurant menus. See bbcgoodfood.com for our Black Forest puds. Christmas pudding gin s spirit gets a year, as several gins have been flavoured with Christmas pudding. Yes, actual Christmas pudding is used as a flavouring in bottles by Gin Tales, Sacred Gin and Four Pillars, while That Boutique-y Gin Company goes one step further by adding…

You’ll remember Saliha Mahmood Ahmed. She was the doctor who wowed MasterChef judges with her modern take on dishes from her Pakistani heritage. Cooking from the age of 12, she won School Chef of the Year when she was 15 – and then worked all hours to balance helping her patients with perfecting creations for the hit BBC show. Her dedication paid off when she was crowned MasterChef winner in 2017 and since then her feet haven’t touched the ground, culminating in her first cookbook, Khazhana. The Indo-Persian book is rich with inspiration from Saliha’s maternal grandmother, Asma Noor (‘Nano’) and the family’s travels through the Mughal empire: India, Pakistan, Kashmir, the Middle East and central Asia. Saliha says: ‘‘Nano was highly innovative. In her kitchen, she invented the most…

Miriam Nice BBC Good Food @miriamjsnice ‘A b&b is one of my favourites. It’s strong, full of flavour and fun to order at the pub as it usually takes ages for the bartender to find the Bénédictine.’ 25ml brandy + 25ml Bénédictine. Serve in a tumbler with ice and a cocktail cherry. Barney Desmazery BBC Good Food @barney_desmazery The bittersweet flavours of a bicyclette are as suited to a cold winter’s night as they are to a hot summer’s day.’ 100ml Campari + 200ml dry white wine. Serve in a wine glass with ice and a slice of lemon. Tom Jolly Beverage manager, Gleneagles @thegleneagleshotel @gleneagleshotel ‘It would have to be a scotch & soda. It’s simple, light and easy to drink. My top whiskies to use would be Bowmore…

Maltesers cheesecake SERVES 12-14 PREP 30 mins plus overnight chilling NO COOK EASY V 130g butter, melted, plus extra for the tin 300g chocolate digestive biscuits 150g milk chocolate 150g dark chocolate 250g mascarpone 300g cream cheese (don’t use a low-fat variety) 50g icing sugar 25g malted milk drink powder (we used Horlicks) 25g hot chocolate powder 1 tsp vanilla extract 300ml double cream 150g Maltesers (100g chopped, 50g whole), plus a handful to decorate 100g chocolate buttons, roughly chopped 1 Butter and line a 23cm springform cake tin. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to form fine crumbs, then add the butter and blitz again. Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge while you…

Slow cooker honey & mustard pork loin SERVES 4-6 PREP 30 mins plus at least 2 hrs marinating COOK 5-6 hrs EASY * 1 ½ tsp fennel seeds 2 garlic cloves 5-6 thyme sprigs 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil about 1.8kg pork loin, skin removed and fat well scored (cut from the thicker end of the joint) 300g shallots 1 small celeriac, peeled, quartered and cut into chunks 2 eating apples (such as Braeburns or Cox's), peeled, cored and cut into wedges 150ml white wine 250ml chicken or pork stock 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Lightly crush the fennel, garlic and the leaves of 3 thyme sprigs in a pestle and mortar. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and season well, then bash to a rough…

Caramelised celeriac purée with brown butter SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 15 mins EASY V Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan until foaming, then browning and smelling nutty. Set aside. Peel and chop one small celeriac into 4-inch pieces. Place in a non-stick saucepan, cover with 100ml milk and add a good pinch of salt. Cover the pan with a lid and set over a low to medium heat. You need to caramelise the celeriac in the pan with the milk, so the liquid evaporates and the celeriac starts to colour on the outside (deepening the flavour) while the middle steams until tender. To ensure you caramelise rather than burn, gently shake the pan every few mins to dislodge the celeriac, cooking until fork tender –…

Grilled aubergine stacks MAKES 20 PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins EASY V 1 aubergine 2 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil 1/2 lemon, juiced For the hummus & pomegranate topping 1 tbsp hummus 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds For the tomato & basil topping 5 cherry tomatoes, halved 10 small basil leaves 1 Cut the aubergine in half lengthways, then cut each half lengthways in two. Slice each quarter into 1 cm slices. Brush the oil over the aubergine pieces and season with a little salt and pepper. 2 Heat a griddle or frying pan. Working in batches, griddle the aubergine pieces for 3 mins on each side until cooked through and nicely charred. Transfer to a tray and squeeze over the lemon juice. 3 To serve, top half the aubergine…

The right potato Potatoes sit in two camps, floury and waxy. For the best roast potatoes (fried potatoes, chips and mash), you want a floury variety, as waxy have a higher sugar content and will brown (caramelise) before they go crisp. Plus, they lack the surface texture to absorb the oil for a crisp outer layer. Maris Piper For crunch-factor these are the superior roasting potato. The white flesh goes soft when boiled – but they can go from boiled to collapsed quickly, so set a timer. Desirée This red-skinned, yellowish fleshed variety is a good roaster and holds its shape well once boiled, but does have a tendency to crack or shrivel if the oven is too high. King Edward They make an excellent roaster and the floury texture…

ÉPOISSES DE BOURGOGNE Saved from extinction by the Berthaut family after the Second World War Soft cow’s milk cheese with Marc de Bourgogne brandy, which produces a liquid centre and orange rind. TASTING NOTES: Punchy, stringy gooey and meaty with a salty finish. BRIE DE MEAUX Rouzaire, Dongé and Rothschild are all good artisan makers A soft, unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese with a bloomy, white, camemberti mould. TASTING NOTES: Creamy, with mushroom and forest floor flavours (too young, it’ll be chalky; too old, it will smell of ammonia). PAVÉ COBBLE made by White Lake A lactic style, heat-treated ewe’s milk soft cheese with an ashed rind, moulded into a truncated pyramid. TASTING NOTES: Creamy with a slightly citrus flavour and silky, melting quality on the palate. whitelake.co.uk BEAUVALE made by…

Asma Khan has never formally trained, but a) runs one of the most remarkable Indian restaurants in London, Darjeeling Express(darjeeling-express.com),b)has just published an amazing cookbook, and c) is one of my all-time culinary heroes. I asked her to lunch and cooked her amazing saffron korma with beetroot raita. Her story is not what you would expect… EF So you’re of royal Indian descent. Did you learn to cook in a palace kitchen? AK No – my mother ran a food business, so I grew up with 25 people in my kitchen, and we had our family cook. There was no question of me ever going into the kitchen. EF But then you married and came to England, without the family cook! AK My husband is very liberal. When we married,…

It was back in the ’90s when the fashion for takeaway coffee – hot, frothy and fresh from Manhattan – really took off in Britain. We’d had coffee for centuries before this, of course: England’s first coffeehouse opened in the 17th century; the celebrated Algerian Coffee Stores in London’s Soho was established in 1887; and from the turn of the 20th century, cityscapes were brightened by Italian espresso bars. For me, coffee culture went wrong when we started down the US path. It became cool to be seen out and about with a takeaway coffee in a plastic cup – not a restrained European coffee but a supersized American version with a bucketload of milk. We were conned into thinking that we didn’t have time to make good coffee at…

Alta Badia, Italy WHY? To visit A Taste for Skiing, which brings Michelin-star food to the slopes of the Dolomites. WHAT? The Alta Badia valley boasts six Michelin stars within 15km2 : three for St Hubertus, two for La Siriola and one for La Stüa de Michil. Each ski season (December-April), chefs from these restaurants and other Michelin-starred venues select dishes to be served at a host of mountain refugio (wood cabins). Skiiers can set off on a Gourmet Skisafari (£44), stopping to sample the chefs’ fare and perfectly paired wines. Lavish versions of Ladin favourites include veal cheeks with gremolata and roasted prunes, and warming pasta broths. The wines alone are worth the piste pilgrimage; try more than 20 local varieties at the Wine Skisafari (24 March 2019, £25)…

1 Make your mince pies It isn’t really Christmas until you’ve made a batch of mince pies. Find your ultimate bake with our five-star recipes and easiest ever videos. 2 Pick your menu Veggie, vegan, classic or something completely different – our shoppable festive menus are guaranteed to wow. 3 Raise a toast and don’t burn the roast! Celebrate Christmas with a choice of hundreds of cocktails (and mocktails!), and don’t forget to use our famous roast calculator to get your timings spot-on for the most important dinner of the year. All this and more at bbcgoodfood.com/christmas…

Caramel soda bread Soda bread is my go-to on a weekend. There’s no kneading and no proving. Just mix, bake, sit back and wait long enough so it won’t scald your mouth, then eat! Traditionally, it’s made in large loaves, but I’m cooking this in a slab, with oozy caramel in the centre and chocolate inside and on top. MAKES 12 squares PREP 20 mins COOK 30 mins EASY V 340g plain flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 25g caster sugar 100g dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips) 290ml buttermilk (or 290ml whole milk, with 3 tbsp lemon juice mixed in) 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste 12 chocolate-covered caramels 1 tsp cocoa, for dusting 75g dark chocolate, melted 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Have…

Feuilletine Add a professional flourish to your cakes and desserts this Christmas with these delicate pastry flakes. Scatter over a chocolate mousse or panna cotta, or use to decorate a cake or profiteroles for a caramelised, biscuity flavour and a little crunch. £1.99 (30g), Waitrose & Partners Air-dried native nape This air-dried pork collar is cured with bay, coriander, mace and rosemary, then slowly fermented and matured. The result is meat that’s incredibly soft with bags of flavour. A firm favourite with our magazines editor. £4.90 (70g pack), native breeds.co.uk Loison chocolate & salted caramel panettone Entertaining over Christmas? Forget dessert and serve this squidgy chocolate & salted caramel panettone with coffee for an easy and delicious after-dinner treat. £18.50, souschef.co.uk…

Food 52 Genius Desserts by Kristen Miglore (£25, Ten Speed Press) This collection features iconic dessert recipes from star food writers and chefs over the past century with stand-outs including Pierre Hermé’s cookies and Meera Sodha’s coconut fudge. Learn new techniques and perfect your pastry with this manual of sweet, glorious temptation. Must-try recipe Italian jam shortbread tart Black Sea by Caroline Eden (£25, Quadrille Publishing) Part travelogue, part recipe book, Caroline takes us on a journey through the Black Sea region around Istanbul, Turkey, and Romania, discovering more about this fascinating part of the world through the people and their food. There’s plenty of fish, warming soups, pies, bakes and cocktails; perfect for this time of year. Must-try recipe Circassian chicken The Hairy…

‘We travel to see our loved ones at Christmas, so we want a centrepiece that’s easy to make, has the wow factor, and provides lots of leftovers. This ham ticks all the boxes. The recipe was given to me 10 years ago by my sister-in-law and it blew me away. The stem ginger is almost toffee-like, the meat stays juicy, and it looks so impressive.’ Keith Kendrick, magazines editor Stem ginger & mustard glazed ham SERVES 10-12 PREP 20 mins COOK 4 hrs EASY * cooked and sliced 3kg boneless gammon joint (smoked or unsmoked depending on your preference) 2 litres ginger beer 1 onion, quartered 2 clementines or satsumas, halved horizontally, plus a few to decorate the plate, if you like 20 cloves 3 bay leaves, plus a few…

the dilemma I’m running out of time to buy all my Christmas gifts and I don’t have a huge amount to spend, but I want to give something that really says ‘I love you’. the solution Give a homemade hamper of treats. These recipes can all be made at the very last minute, but they will also keep for a month, or two, if you want to get ahead. December is without doubt my favourite month of the year. I adore all things Christmas and get totally swept up in the celebrations. I love the carol concerts, mince pies, twinkly lights and finding the perfect present for a loved one. But, year on year, it becomes more difficult to think of original, budget-friendly gifts to buy. As a foodie, I…

Leek, butter bean & crispy chorizo soup SERVES 6 PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins EASY * 30g unsalted butter olive oil, for frying 2 large leeks, sliced 1 large garlic clove, crushed 2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed 800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock 4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus extra to serve 225g chorizo, finely cubed 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped bread, to serve • Heat the butter and a glug of olive oil in a casserole over a medium heat. Add the leeks and fry for 15 mins until softened and beginning to turn golden brown. Stir through the garlic and cook for a further 1 min. • Tip the butter beans into the pan, pour over the hot stock and simmer,…

Mincemeat & almond croissants MAKES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins EASY V Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Beat 50g softened butter, 50g golden caster sugar and 50g ground almonds with a pinch of salt. Add1/ 2 tsp almond extract and 1 egg and mix until smooth. Split 4 croissants, spread generously with the almond paste, and add a spoonful of mincemeat to the middle of each. Spoon a little more almond paste and mincemeat on top and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for 15-20 mins until the filling is oozing out and set. Cool for 10 mins then dust heavily with icing sugar. PER SERVING 577 kcals • fat 34g • saturates 13g • carbs 55g • sugars 33g • fibre 2g • protein 12g • salt…

Miriam Nice is a published author and illustrator. She has written over 350 recipes for BBC Good Food. @miriamjsnice Now is the season full of feasting and frivolity, glittery knitwear and jam-packed fridges; but all this abundance seems a bit odd when there’s not a lot of fruit and veg in season this month. Instead we party hard on all things dried, preserved, pickled and cured. All is not completely lost on the fresh produce front, however: cress, the original microgreen, is an all-year-rounder and works brilliantly scattered over pretty much everything, providing some much-needed peppery greenness for winter dishes. We must also doff our party hats to the ingenious solution to the empty season that is forced rhubarb, a magical process whereby rhubarb is grown in the colder months…

Sweet potato & cauliflower lentil bowl SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins COOK 35 mins EASY V 1 large sweet potato, skin left on, scrubbed and cut into medium chunks 1 cauliflower, cut into large florets, stalk diced 1 tbsp garam masala 3 tbsp groundnut oil 2 garlic cloves 200g Puy lentils thumb-sized piece ginger, grated 1 tsp Dijon mustard 11/2 limes, juiced 2 carrots 1/4 red cabbage 1/2 small pack coriander 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Toss the sweet potato and cauliflower with the garam masala, half the oil and some seasoning. Spread out on a large roasting tray. Add the garlic and roast for 30-35 mins until cooked. 2 Meanwhile, put the lentils in a saucepan with 400ml cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer…

Wine expert Henry Jeffreys, along with the BBC Good Food team, tasted his way through over 100 wines to choose our Wine Club selection. Henry writes about wine for The Guardian and The Spectator, and on his blog, worldofbooze.wordpress.com. He’s also a judge in the Best Drinks Producer category for the BBC Food and Farming Awards. His first book, Empire of Booze, is out now. Find Henry’s tasting notes, including food pairings, for all the selected wines at bbcgoodfood.com/wine-club . THIS MONTH’S FAVOURITE Vinha do Fava Touriga Nacional Wine type Portuguese red Characteristics Full body, ripe tannins, dark fruit, wild herbs Goes well with Roast lamb, ratatouille, daube of beef Tastes similar to Puglia Primitivo A wine for every dish Ever wondered which white wine…

1 Roll puff pastry out to a rectangle 10cm wider and 3cm longer than the contents, then neaten the edges. 2 Lay your parcel in the middle of the pastry, folding over the half nearest to you. Brush the other half with beaten egg. 3 Roll the rest of the pastry around the filling to encase. Neatly fold under the shorter edges to create a parcel. 4 Lift on to a baking sheet and smooth out the pastry, pressing it firmly with your hands to avoid any air being trapped. Brush all over with beaten egg yolk. For our venison Wellington recipe, visit bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/venison-wellington…

Macancini Turn any cold, leftover mac and cheese from p98 into a whole new party snack by rolling walnut-sized portions into balls. Coat the balls methodically in plain flour, beaten eggs, then breadcrumbs, and deep fry at 180C, or shallow fry in a decent layer of oil, or drizzle with oil and bake in a hot oven until crispy. Serve with a tomato chutney. Indian fishcakes Use your hands or a masher to crush together leftover traybaked salmon with sag aloo potatoes from p64. Shape into cakes and pan-fry or bake until crisp to reheat. Top with a poached or fried eggs. Christmas dinner pie Chunk any leftover turkey from p38 and mix with any leftover vegetables and gravy from p38-9 and some grainy mustard. Tip into a pie dish,…

Espresso lovers Be like Italians. Enjoy a quick stand-up coffee at the counter and use a classic stovetop espresso pot at home. Americano lovers A cafetière is your best friend; just make sure the mesh filter and glass beaker are clean (replacements for both are cheap to buy, so you can keep your cafetière going for years). Tech-loving coffee geeks Step away from those coffee pods. Made from plastic and aluminium, they’re a nightmare to recycle. Too-busy-to-brew types A takeaway coffee in a plastic cup isn’t cool, but relishing a well made coffee on a café date with a friend definitely is.…

Sample and shop Meet over 300 independent and artisan producers and shop for everything from summery sweet treats to al fresco essentials. Don’t miss exclusive Show deals from your favourite brands too. Summer inspiration Take a seat at the BBC Good Food Stage and enjoy live interviews, hosted by food editor-at-large Barney Desmazery. Plus, visit the Summer Kitchen for fresh and healthy recipe ideas. Head outside Every ticket includes entry to BBC Gardeners’ World Live, so you can pick up plot-to-plate inspiration, take a stroll around stunning Show gardens and enjoy family fun and kid’s activities, too. VIP experience Whether you want to sit back and relax with a glass of fizz or get closer to your favourite chefs and experts, our popular VIP packages are the perfect treat! Visit…

The Knife Sharpener Guy The Knife Sharpener Guy sells the World’s BEST knife sharpener and customers love the exciting new range of colours. These became available for the first time in November 2017. Copper, Brass and Wolfram made their debut alongside the ever-popular stainless steel version. Check out the website to find the ideal gift but be aware you’ll want to treat yourself first. steph@theknifesharpenerguy.co.uk theknifesharpenerguy.co.uk The Best Gift for Foodlovers This Christmas, treat your loved ones to a true food lovers experience at The Kent Cookery School. It is the perfect place to learn some new skills, how to perfect your favourite cuisine and eat some sumptuous food. Gourmet Gift vouchers are available to purchase for any amount, any class or choose from a full day or half day…

Mincemeat, cranberry & almond pie SERVES 12 PREP 25 mins COOK 45 mins EASY V * 500g sweet shortcrust pastry 150g marzipan, grated 400g jar mincemeat 100g cranberries 50g icing sugar, for dusting 1 Cut the pastry in two. Wrap one half and set aside. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the other half to a square large enough to line a 22cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin (we used a square tin, but a round one would also work). Press the pastry into the tin, leaving any excess hanging over the edge. 2 Scatter the marzipan over the pie base. Add the mincemeat and top with the cranberries. 3 Roll out the remaining pastry to a square (or circle) the thickness of a £1 coin. Use a…