Welcome to Christmas

Make it meaningful

Handmade with love

There’s nothing quite like a homemade gift to touch someone’s heart and these ultra-festive treats will win over anyone with a sweet tooth

Vanilla spiral biscuits

MAKES 15-20 PREP 25 mins plus chilling and

Coconut caramels

MAKES 20-25 PREP 10 mins plus setting

Almond, orange & ginger florentines

MAKES 12-15 PREP 25 mins COOK 20 mins

Checkerboard biscuits

MAKES 20-25 PREP 35 mins plus chilling

Ginger biscuit snowflakes

Shoot directors RACHEL BAYLY, BEN CURTIS | Food

Christmas raspberry dodgers

MAKES 20-25 PREP 25 mins plus chilling and

Chocolate peppermint crinkle cookie kisses

MAKES 15-20 PREP 20 mins plus cooling

Universal dough

Use this recipe to make the raspberry dodgers,

Make it meaningful

We’ve teamed up with five of our guests from the Good Food Show to bring you dishes that will redefine Christmas lunch

Trimmings with a twist

We asked five of our guests at this year’s BBC Good Food Show about their must-have Christmas Day side dishes

Your turkey lunch time plan

Make the big Christmas Day spread with minimum fuss using our step-by-step guide

Celebratory mains

For a change from the usual turkey, or a Boxing Day gathering, try one of these showstopping centrepieces

Freeze ahead and get tog ether

Stock your freezer with a few winning dishes and look foward to spending more time with your guests this festive season

Show-stealing bakes

Bring the wow factor to your dinner table with spectacular desserts to round off the big day

Cheesemongers making a difference

Artisan producers are going the extra mile to support local causes and communities with their products, which are well worth showcasing on your cheeseboard this Christmas

Gadget genius Festive treats

Rather than switch the oven on, save energy and effort with cakes, pies and puds that can be made by other means

Heading home for Christmas

Pack some snacks for the journey, plus homemade bakes to share with your loved ones when you get there

Personal touches

Enjoy some festive fun with inexpensive ways to customise your celebrations

A festive welcome

Adorn your door with a wreath made from materials found in your garden with these ideas from BBC Gardener’s World

Show them you care

There’s no greater gift than one from the heart and these recipes are sure to delight your loved ones

Gingerbread

(but not as you know it)

What’s your best veggie crowdpleaser?

Writers and chefs share their favourite meat-free go-tos

The kitchen is Maggie’s happy place

Find out how cooking helped nine-year-old Maggie to manage dyslexia and improve her reading skills

Cooks the books

MELISSA THOMPSON

take 5 ingredients

Keep the shopping list short and get dinner on the table with minimal prep using Claire Thomson’s recipes

Honey-mustard chicken

£1.43 per serving Honey-mustard chicken, p112 SERVES

Chicken & tzatziki wraps

£1.53 per serving SERVES 4 PREP 5-10 mins

To cook in the air-fryer

1 Heat the air-fryer to 200C. 2

Garlic prawn rice

£2.02 per serving SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins

Lemon & rosemary roast potatoes with sausages

£1.23 per serving Shoot director RACHEL BAYLY |

love your leftovers

Christmas special

Nadiya Hussain’s storecupboard supper

Use up leftover chicken and canned ingredients for this Bengali dish

TV & RADIO PICKS

by DAVID CRAWFORD Deputy listings editor for Radio

perfect pickle

As the holiday season draws near, we continue our series inspiring you with ideas to fill a homemade hamper

hearty & wholesome

Bake a warming pie that packs in four of your five-a-day and vitamin C for a healthy immune system

How to use up everything!

Each month we show you how to waste less and make ingredients work harder for maximum taste and value

Olive-brine chicken

Use up your olive brine to make this

Back to your roots

Rather than bin your veg peelings, make them the star of the show

Storecupboard soups

Cook a quick and easy lunch with recipes using dried or canned goods

Miso lentil & cabbage soup

SERVES 6-8 PREP 15 mins COOK 50 mins

Orzo & chickpea soup

SERVES 6-8 PREP 20 mins COOK 1

Sow, grow, glow: Winter wonders

Make the best use of fresh leeks and kale, and discover a new spin on carrot cake. Plus, gardening expert Ingrid Chiu on how to grow your own produce

Kale caesar salad

SERVES 2 as a main or 4 as

Chicken, leek & ham pie

SERVES 6-8 PREP 20 mins COOK 1 hr

Air-fryer carrot cake

Shoot director LAURIE NEWMAN | Food stylist ELLIE

GREAT TO GROW IN NOVEMBER

Ingrid Chiu has been harvesting crops from her

reader offer

Cook authentic stone-baked pizza in just 3 minutes

Pans for life from Samuel Groves

All the pans you need for 25% less than the RRP*

Discover Iceland

Explore the ‘land of fire and ice’ on this fantastic guided short break

West End theatre break

Enjoy a magical short break, taking in the epic Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre and stay in a London hotel with breakfast included

What to drink with Italian food

good food WINE CLUB

Festive holly trees

Create stunning winter displays, and frame doorways and entrances with this pair of standard holly trees for half-price

The connoisseur’s CHRISTMAS CHEESEBOARD

good food CHEESE CLUB

Holiday entertaining

Will you be inviting guests over this festive season? Celebrate in style with our friendsmas menu, fruity cocktails and Tom Kerridge’s must-have baked camembert

The friendsmas menu

Gather your friends for a relaxed celebration of the season – these recipes are special but simple to prepare, so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen

Tom Kerridge’s baked camembert

Tom takes classic tear-and-share bread with molten cheese to new heights

Get out & about

Celebrate Bonfire Night and Diwali as well as the run-up to Christmas

Next level kedgeree

Make brunch an event to remember

Raise a glass

Pluck ingredients from the fruit bowl and use them in cocktails and mocktails to celebrate the season

6 of the best ADVENT CALENDARS

Count down to the big day with tipples, tea, sweets or chocolate, including a vegan option

CHRISTMAS TASTE AWARDS 2023

Discover the results of our supermarket taste test and shop for the best festive products this holiday season

The 10 bottles of Christmas

Victoria Moore

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

From small sweet treats and stocking fillers, to luxury kitchen gadgets and homeware, we’ve chosen our favourite presents for 2023

BOOKS FOR COOKS

Christmas edition

5 OF THE BEST Christmas dinner tools

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or first-timer, here’s our pick of the best kit for prepping and cooking on the big day

BAUBLES

Adorn your tree with our favourite food-themed decorations

Diwali delights

Make these creamy, nutty truffles to celebrate the Hindu Festival of Lights on 12 November – they’re also ideal for gifting