If you make one thing…

Salty bacon, sweet maple and fluffy gingerbread pancakes; it’s a breakfast to thrill the heart

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Food editor Tom Shingler mixes and matches this month’s dishes

APPETISERS

Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews & great stuff to do

INTRODUCING… delicious. expert Cherie Denham

As part of our promise to provide you

OVER TO YOU

STAR EMAIL ★ Subject: Looking forward to comfort

MEET THE READER

Lucy lives in Cornwall with her husband and

Happy birthday to us!

20 YEARS OF delicious

dIscoveries Christmas special

We’ve tasted, sipped, broken apart, crumbled and examined all the festive products from small producers we could get our hands on, then whittled the list down to the very best of them – just for you

3 HANDY FESTIVE STANDBYS

1THE GUEST PLEASER We’re long-time fans of the

YOUR 2023 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Take your pick from our edit of presents for cooks, hosts, foragers and growers – or anyone who just loves to eat!

The book list

Mark Diacono seeks out new releases food lovers would be thrilled to find under the tree this Christmas, from inventive ways with veg to a collection of kitchen memories compiled by stars of the food world for an important cause

5 OF THE BEST FESTIVE THREE-STAR GREAT TASTE WINNERS

These heroes of the recent 2023 Great Taste Awards, judged by food experts including our very own Karen Barnes, are well worth seeking out to top up your festive haul

A glass of fizz with Angela Hartnett and Nick Grimshaw

The renowned chef and popular radio presenter teamed up last year to co-host hit podcast Dish, in which Angela steps away from her restaurant Murano to cook for a special guest each week – while Nick keeps the conversation flowing. The dynamic duo talk festive essentials, dream interviewees and what not to eat on air

Get ready for Christmas

It’s that time of year again... A time

Rick Stein takes it easy

PORTRAIT: KATE WHITAKER When time is of the

Gild a walnut? No, but I’ll peel an orange

After years of striving for the perfect family Christmas, with garland-festooned staircases and elaborate table decorations, Debora Robertson asks if the time has come to embrace a simpler holiday season

“For Diwali, an invitation to our place is a must”

Recipes from the heart.

THE flavour OF CHRISTMAS 2023

Mulling spice is packed with warming fragrance from

THE MOST MOREISH FESTIVE SNACKS

River Cottage’s Gelf Alderson is a master of

THE SIDE SHOW

Few dinners put as much importance on the sides as a roast – and Christmas is the most important roast of the year. Keep things fresh with these easyyet-incredible, familiar-yet-new dishes – all super-quick to put together

No-fuss nibbles

This duo of sensational snacks is effortlessly simple, delivers serious flavour and can be cooked from frozen. So whether you’re the party giver or the party goer, you’ll have plenty of time to mingle and make merry

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Add the sparkle-dust of imagination to your 2023 festive desserts with Emily Gussin’s recipes full of Wonka-esque delight. Dim the lights for… the showstoppers!

Happy birthday delicious

20 YEARS OF LEADING THE WAY IN FOOD

When Christmas dinner means so much more

It’s all about joy and family at this time

Your 2023 essential festive starter

Packs of smoked and cured salmon fly off the shelves in the run-up to Christmas, but there’s a better option. Trout is similar in taste and texture but it’s more sustainable and often cheaper. Cure it yourself at home for a rewarding project that will transform your Christmas starters, canapés and more. Pollyanna Coupland shows you how

CHRISTMAS PUD

No shortcuts. No cheat ingredients. Our best of the best series takes the view that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Each month we take a deep-dive into a classic dish, then give you our ultimate recipe. This month: Pollyanna Coupland perfects her granny’s figgy pudding, ready for Stir-Up Sunday on 26 November

THEGAME-CHANGERS

We know it, you know it. Every Christmas you think this is the year you’ll try everything new for the big feast, but a lot of what you end up cooking is the same as it always is: tried and trusted family favourites – if for no other reason than to prevent uproar at the table. That’s why I’ve taken four key elements – cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing and mincemeat – and improved them to the max, without changing the essence of what makes each one popular. Welcome to the four stars of Christmas that are ALWAYS worth making from scratch…

Michel Roux Jr’s de luxe Yule log

Christmas pud is all well and good (and our version on p96 is very good indeed) but when it comes to festive desserts, a lot of people also want something with a little more wow-factor – and, frankly, a lot more chocolate. Here, supremo chef Michel shows you how to create a classic bûche de Noël or Yule log, the traditional French Christmas dessert

NOKX MAJOZI’S SHOWSTOPPER PI

The project. PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING NOKX

THE ZERO-WASTE Christmas

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could prepare a Christmas dinner with no waste, where everything you bought is used up? Well, now you can!

DON’T BIN IT!

Stilton is the star of the Christmas cheeseboard, but it’s hard to judge the quantity you need for a crowd. Emily Gussin shares how to use up any leftovers

Drinks

Your all-you-need party drinks round-up, beer gift guide and a warming Christmas Eve tot

Say it with ale

Beer school.

Make it every day.

PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON Quick midweek meals that manage

Add a bit of midweek magic

These speedy meals are doable but out of the ordinary, thanks to bold combinations and exciting innovations, with big flavours to the fore

The Hebridean Baker’s Ecclefechan tarts

Easy bake.

Flavours of joy

When you choose Taylor & Colledge’s quality vanilla range, you can elevate the taste of every mouthful this festive season and beyond

Recipe index

PUZZLES PAGE

There’s a prize to be won and food knowledge to be tested with Hugh Thompson’s crossword and food quiz. They’re what a cuppa and cake were made for

THE FOOD QUIZ

1 Which British monarch was known as the

Where have all the sweet pies gone?

Other than the apple pie and, at this time of year, mince pies, the UK has a double-crust-sweet-pie paucity problem, says food writer and superfan Nicola Miller