WELCOME TO December

As the days shorten, the anticipation grows. Gifts

FOR STARTERS

NEWS, NIBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE AND GOOD THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW

EBENEZER SCROOGE

The infamous moneylender loosens his wallet (and his belt) once a year for an extravagant repast of fire-warmed toast and a certain kind of mint sweet. It’s all in the spirit of Christmas…

FROM OUR INBOX…

Tell us what you think of delicious. (good and bad)

Christmas sanity

If there’s anyone who knows how to navigate this frenetic time of year as if on a sea of calm, it’s Nigella. Emulate her swan-like unflappability by taking note of her freezer friends and tips for the storecupboard… Essentially, it’s a plan-ahead shopping list to make all your celebratory food moments efficient – not unmanageable

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

Have you been invited somewhere this Christmas? Then make sure you’re a good guest, says our regular columnist Kay Plunkett-Hogge

Over £8,400 of prizes to be won

To celebrate our favourite time of year we’re giving away these fabulous prizes, each worth at least £1,000. Go online to enter – good luck!

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

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

CHEF’S STEP BY STEP

Party tricks

The festive season is nothing if not an opportunity

SPECIAL ESCAPES

for cold winter nights

COMING NEXT MONTH IN… delicious

• Cheer-up comfort food, from perfect breakfasts to

RECIPE INDEX

• Brussels sprouts with preserved lemons and pomegranate

Save the kitchen!

If kitchens are being built smaller and food deliveries

Capture the magic! THE FLAVOURS, MUSIC & JOY OF CHRISTMAS

What heralds the start of the celebrations for you? Perhaps it’s the first sound of music you link to Christmas – the angelic voices of a choir through an open church door or a song that reminds you of festive parties and revelry. Add evocative cooking aromas into the mix and it’ll fast-track you straight to nostalgia warp 10. Here’s how to do just that, with outstanding recipes, each inspired by a favourite song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…

Make the caramels up to 3 days in advance and keep

All I want for Christmas is you

Tradition takes the starring role at Christmas but there’s still a place for a bit of glitz and glamour. Channel Mariah Carey’s 1994 song and demand what your heart desires… This decadent dessert is a good place to start, to be enjoyed whenever the mood strikes.

I wish it could be Christmas every day

The leftover snack to end all snacks, this quick recipe makes ingenious use of the ends of the cheeseboard, odd nuggets of stuffing and even the last spoonfuls of gravy – the moist-maker (from Friends). We might not be able to have Christmas every day, as wished for in Wizzard’s 1973 party classic, but a good leftover sarnie will keep that festive feeling alive and kicking long after 25 December… Yes, please!

The festive larder of DREAMS

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. In addition to decking the halls, food writer Lucas Hollweg is squirrelling away all manner of ingredients to keep crowds happily fed – and last-minute panics under control

The most special lunch of the year

The Christmas feast is so eagerly anticipated and so long in the planning. But along with all that expectation comes a fair bit of stress. In our view everyone, including the cook – especially the cook! – deserves their share of peace and goodwill. The big lunch is never going to be entirely stress free, so don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise, but here’s how to make the task manageable and even enjoyable… Merry Christmas!

Vegetarian SHOWSTOPPERS

Good looks, great taste – these meat-free festive centrepieces have it all, with a healthy helping of wow factor for good measure

Mum vs (chef) son THE GREAT CHRISTMAS GRAVY-OFF

Imagine a roast without gravy – the unsung hero of the traditional lunch. At Christmas, enriched with juices from the festive roast, it’s this unassuming accompaniment’s chance to shine… But can you improve on a classic? We pitched chef Dan Doherty against his mum Margaret in a challenge to find out if cheffy gravy can compete with the old-fashioned way of doing things

Get-in-the-twinkly-mood films for food lovers

Here are the best movies to enjoy over the festivities. They might not all have food as their central theme, but their Christmassy greatness makes up for that. Plus, find out the appropriate things to nibble or slurp while watching them, to make like a proper fan

Nigella’s SIDE-DISH WIZARDRY

I hate hearing people describe themselves as ‘just’ a home cook. We cook to bring pleasure, comfort and flavour to life, to the table. Home cooking isn’t about treating food as a museum piece or an empty exercise in nostalgia. So many recipes are drawn from meals I remember, the food I’ve eaten at various stages in my life, and in evoking memories I’m making them part of how I live and eat now.

10 super-quick CANAPÉS

Party nibbles can be such a faff to make – but not these. They’re ridiculously tasty and each takes only 10 minutes to put together

”It’s a privilege to look after someone at the end of their life”

While the festivities signal a break from the daily grind for most of us, 900,000-plus people in the UK still have to work on 25 December. Kerry Fowler meets two whose jobs keep them away from home on Christmas Day – but who have their own special ways of celebrating

The Stein family’s NEW YEAR’S EVE FEAST

The run-up to Christmas couldn’t be busier for the Steins as they make sure everyone in their restaurants has a sparkling celebration. But what happens after the buzz of the main event has passed? How do they see out the old year and ring in the new? We asked Rick and sons Jack and Charlie to create a menu that’s all about round-the-table joy. Good news: its easy to do and fabulous

HOW NIGEL SLATER DOES SWEET festive treats

Something impressive to bake, plus two brilliantly simple things to do with that spare panettone, all wrapped up with nowhere to go

THE LOW-SUGAR MARVEL

We tweaked and tested this beautiful pudding umpteen times using a clever mix of ingredients such as almond butter and cocoa nibs to please the palate while keeping the added sugar down. The result is worthy of any festive gathering

Profiteroles

We’ve revitalised this 1970s classic thrice over with a savoury sharing wreath, a twist on ice cream sandwiches and our cover star: white chocolate-drizzled profiteroles filled with orange cream (probably the best pudding of Christmas)

The recipe hall of fame MINCE PIES

They’ve been around for centuries and they’re a bolted-on Christmas essential, but is there a definitive version? If there is, you can guarantee food writer Debbie Major has it nailed

Speedy soup?

When you’re making a warming bowl of soup, do you prefer it ready in minutes or cooked nice and slow? Either way, it deserves OXO Ready To Use Stock

The best gluten-free MINCE PIES

When these mince pies arrived at the office from Serena and Flo at the outstanding Pearl & Groove bakery, they lasted mere seconds, banishing all preconceptions of slightly dusty gluten-free products. Here, the pastry is beautifully made and laced with rum, then filled with just the right balance of mincemeat and frangipane. We had to get the recipe so you can try them too

How to make a WINTER WONDERLAND CAKE

One idea, two easy designs. Create a super-cool icy blue marbled cake and keep it simple with just a few snowflake decorations, or top it with homemade snowmen for a fairytale touch

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Delicious. is a magazine created to inspire your cooking

YOUR COMPLETE FOOD LOVER’S SHOPPING GUIDE

Need a delicious. helping hand around the vast array

The delicious. GIFT GUIDE

“Still have a few food-loving people to tick off your

Delicious. ONLINE SHOP

Did you know our new shop sells top quality free-range turkeys, wine, gin, liqueurs, smoked salmon, cheese, mince pies…? SO many delectable treats for your festive table and to buy as gifts. Visit delicious magazine.co.uk/shop to find the latest gems

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW: THE BEST GIFT OF ALL

Going on a cookery course is one of the most rewarding ways to spend a day, which is why we’d heartily recommend one as a gift for a food lover (or the food-curious). We’ve tested four to inspire your choice

Festive BEST IN SHOW

The big Christmas shop can be a daunting task, especially with the abundance of Yuletide treats dreamed up by the retailers each year. But which are worth buying? From standout starters to show-stopping puddings, nibbles and standbys, we’ve tasted and tested myriad products to find the star buys of 2017

Festive solutions

If you’re cooking vegetarian on Christmas Day, there’s

Your one-stop shop for festive drinks

“ It’s a special time of year, so make sure your drinks

Season’s greetings

This Christmas, welcome the melt-in-themouth Saint Agur onto your cheeseboard

FRIDGE-RAID SUPPERS

One-stop recipe inspiration to make the most of those gorgeous Christmas ingredients we all tend to stock up on (and buy too much of) at this time of year

THE FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER

Chill after a long week with a bowl of something spicy

SOUP OF THE MONTH

This vibrant bowlful is special enough to ring the changes and serve to friends

THE BATCH-COOK RECIPE

Make this smoky chilli, serve two thirds now and freeze the rest to make a sensational cowboy pie

BREAD TAKE A LOAF OF…

Just a few slices create the base of four tempting weeknight dishes – a easy and packed with flavour

Baby food for every stage

As you embark on the weaning journey, trust HiPP Organic’s extensive range of organic baby foods to help your child discover and develop their own taste buds

Delicious. KITCHEN

Christmas: it’s just one big meal, right? Every year

MEAT

Meat lovers are in for a treat

In this special supplement we’ve brought together a

showstoppers.

Jalapeño, coriander and lime salt crusted ham with

MEAT KNOW-HOW

How to get the best out of good meat, from buying to cooking to serving