The best-of-French menu BY MICHEL ROUX JR

15th BIRTHDAY ISSUE

I can hardly believe 15 years have passed since the

15 GOOD THINGS FOR

VISIT… the Charles Dickens Museum in London WC1, where

Birthday wishes FROM OUR delicious. FRIENDS

“Congratulations on 15 years of delicious.inspiration.

FROM OUR INBOX…

SUBJECT: Home is where the hearty food is from: Amy

NATHAN OUTLAW

The brilliant seafood chef, whose restaurant retained its status as the country’s best in the latest Good Food Guide, talks about favourite meals, escaping London and lessons from his father

YOUR 2018 gift guide

Christmas is coming, and there’s joy to be found in the choosing, wrapping and giving of a present to a cherished friend or relative. Our pick of gorgeous gifts for food (and tipple) lovers is here to help

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

The British food scene has changed enormously in the 15 years since delicious.launched in 2003, says Kay Plunkett-Hogge. But did our columnist really invent avocado on toast?

IS BEING FLEXITARIAN A 21ST-CENTURY FAD?

Should the mostly-veg crew – the ones who occasionally eat meat and fish – be viewed as failed veggies? As meat lovers with a healthy helping of pretension? Or could a flexitarian diet be the compromise that reconciles appetite with environmental awareness? Lauren Bravo takes stock

“My favourite food book of all time”

A good cookbook is about so much more than recipes. It’s about memory, culture, time and place, discovery, sharing… about being human. We asked 15 chefs, cooks and food writers to share the books that have inspired them

THE GREAT delicious FOOD QUIZ

So here it is: our 15th birthday culinary quiz, with 15 questions to test your knowledge of food – in music, in movies, on the telly and pretty much in general. There aren’t any prizes, but your honour is at stake!

DRINKS GUIDE

Why would anyone leave the Christmas drinks shopping

THE TOP 10 RECIPES

Here’s a round-up of our all-time favourites from the past 15 years – each recipe updated with a special twist. Plus, to celebrate our new wine-matching feature on the delicious.website (see p26), we’ve paired all the dishes with always-a-winner Majestic wines. Cooking, eating and drinking have never been so much fun

GEARING UP FOR CHRISTMAS

We have an SOS (save our sanity) plan to put to you:

‘‘Every time we make something good to eat, we make a memory”

Regular readers will know that Gill writes a recipe column for delicious.every month. We’ve put that on hold for one special issue, as he has a new book out (his second) and the recipes are so good we felt we had to give you a glimpse. Here – and in the book – Gill ponders the role that time plays in making good food and great memories. It’s a joy

DUCK: star of the bill

For chef Henry Harris, duck is the king of birds for its flavour and its sheer versatility. Taking his cue from the traditions of southwest France, he puts on a variety show with duck starring in a number of roles: as tender confit legs, in a rich terrine, as marinated crispyskinned roast breasts, and smoked for a glorious Sunday evening treat

“Mum’s cooking was a labour of love”

Delhi-born chef Surender Mohan’s childhood memories conjure up the rich colours and complex aromas of his home city, and the food lovingly prepared by his mum. These spicy snacks – ideal for Diwali celebrations – take him straight back to his childhood kitchen

YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH PIE

A burnished pastry crust is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate – and taking the time to make a pie is all part of the pleasure. These sweet and savoury gems from Annie Rigg’s latest book, Pies & Tarts, vary in trickiness but they all come with a level 10 joy-rating. So, as Annie urges, it’s time to “arm yourself with a rolling pin, dust your hands with flour and embrace this wonderful world”

The Nutcracker sweets (and a savoury…)

Gingerbread soldiers, a nutcracker that turns into a prince, dancing sugarplum fairies… With a new Nutcracker film out this month, we took the traditional story as inspiration for a host of recipes. The classic Tchaikovsky ballet, set on a long-ago Christmas Eve, is a smorgasbord of childhood memories upon which we’ve sprinkled our own fairy dust – or icing sugar – to bring the magic to life

Mary Berry’s QUICK & BOOZY TRUFFLES

She’s revered as Britain’s queen of baking, and Mary knows a thing or two about how to take the stress out of the looming party season, too. Her boozy truffles are quick to make, fabulous to eat – and the just-about-perfect gift to give to anyone who invites you round

A CAKE TO Celebrate

We couldn’t celebrate delicious.magazine’s 15th birthday wihout a cake – and who better to create it than master pâtissier Eric Lanlard? This glorious autumnal recipe (there’s pumpkin in it, adding a rich, moist texture) is as simple to make as it is impressive… a spectacular centrepiece. Thanks, Eric!

ONLY ONLINE

Here’s this month’s web-exclusive recipe. If you feel like whipping up these petite French madeleines with a lemon and thyme drizzle, grab your tablet, phone or laptop and go to deliciousmagazine.co.uk

FREE! The French Revolution by Michel Roux Jr

PACKED WITH 140 HOME-COOK RECIPES • Roasted tomato

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe this month and not only will you become part

WIN! A Leisure range cooker

If you’ve always dreamed of having a range cooker in your kitchen, now’s your chance to win one, in a style and colour of your choice, up to a value of £1,400

COOK THE COVER …and win a gin-making seaside break in south Devon

COOK THE COVER …and win a gin-making seaside break

It wouldn’t be Christmas without… delicious

★Magical Scandi bakes, snowy cake & the best baked

LOOSE ENDS

Don’t let this month’s special ingredients linger in your kitchen. Instead make the most of them with these smart and easy ideas.

15 MEALS IN 15 MINUTES

Knowing time is at even more of a premium at this time of year, we set ourselves the challenge of creating a bumper crop of super-fast (and super-good) midweek meals. Here they areÉ

Anna Del Conte’s VEG MASTERCLASS

For the godmother of Italian food writing, vegetables

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN

While the delicious.team are testing recipes, they’re often debating the best ways to do things, as well as answering cooking questions that arise in the test kitchen. What’s the difference between caramel and toffee sauce? How do you consistently get fluffy rice? What vegetables are good to serve with roasts (along with potatoes, obviously)? It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else, and it will take your cooking to the next level

CHICKEN KIEV

There are few things more pleasing than cutting into a crunchy, golden chicken kiev to release a pool of hot, garlicky butter. It’s not the easiest dish to master, but this method guarantees a crisp exterior, tender chicken – and that all-important flavour hit within

New name, same taste

They may not be called Doria anymore, but Bauli crackers still carry that wonderful trademark flavour

FRESH RICOTTA

PHOTOGRAPHS STUART WEST FOOD STYLING SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH STYLING MORAG FARQUHAR

TEST REPORT

THE COOKERY SCHOOL Get ready for chr istmas

Provence’s capital shines once more

The ancient southern French city of Marseille has long been overshadowed by the glitz of Cannes and Nice but, as Kathryn Tomasetti discovers, the rich mix of the city’s food heritage is turning it into a must-visit destination – and the run-up to Christmas is a special time to visit

The Salutation: a Kentish retreat

WHY IT’S GREAT In the historical town of Sandwich,

Follow the recipe!

Why do so many people take it upon themselves to reinterpret recipes, then complain when they don’t turn out so well? Food journalist Clare Finney insists that, regardless of our creative urges, there are good reasons for doing it exactly by the book