Fluffy pillows of festive joy

welcome.

Cosiness and comfort are key. That’s my

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Dare to break with tradition in the final week of 2024 with three fab food events – curated by head of food Tom Shingler

Just add sparkle

The elves are rolling into town and giving everything in sight a serious dose of Christmas! These four dishes use ingredients you might have hanging around for the celebrations and each one has been fully jingled and made merry for the festive season

APPETISERS

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

OVER TO YOU

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Your last-minute gift guide

For stocking fillers and presents just in the (Saint) nick of time

delicious. 25 BEST COOKBOOKS 2024

A library’s worth of new cookbooks is published each year, and food writer Mark Diacono has the job of poring over the pages to decide which deserve a spot on your kitchen counter. And now... The time has come to reveal the winners in the fourth annual delicious. 25 Best Cookbooks Of The Year!

“Come New Year’s Eve I crave fresh, vibrant and gutsy flavours”

Restaurateur and food writer Ravinder Bhogal is known for her exciting mixture of worldly styles or, as she calls it, “cooking across borders”. Here she shares recipes for a spectacular palate-awakening New Year’s Eve feast, from cocktail to pud

A Baileys with Alison Hammond

The Bake Off and This Morning presenter is known for her laughter-packed interviews and now she’s written a novel – Bombshell – about a woman whose life is turned upside down one December. Alison talks about her mum’s cooking, living outside the comfort zone and the Hammond Christmas buffet

Joyeux Noël

Whether you make everything from scratch or squirrel away some ready-made time-savers, Debora Robertson advises you to say a typically French “aucun souci” to the festivities this year

WHAT THE CHEFS COOK AT CHRISTMAS

Be it traditional or leftfield, chefs enjoy more homely creations with friends and family over Christmas. Five pros at the top of their game share their favourite recipes for the festive season

Hamming it up

Exclusively for delicious., the queen of Christmas, Nigella Lawson, shares a recipe for a perfectly petite pair of ham hocks – then celebrates them beyond the first slice with a satisfying, full-flavoured soup

How to delight your guests (and keep your sanity)

Avoid the stresses of festive entertaining with the help of Jonathan Attwood, professional host and founder of Last Supper Ltd, event caterers extraordinaire for the art, fashion and media scene. If he can keep Anna Wintour and Posh Spice happy, coping with your relatives should be a breeze

Meat-free magic

If you’re having visitors round there’s a good chance there’ll be a plant-based pal among them. Instead of cooking an extra meal, choose from these tasty mains and puds everyone will enjoy

Glamour puds

This trio of sophisticated showstoppers will help make Christmas special. Each enjoys a liberal addition of booze, though you can ‘sober up’ the cute tipsy snowmen for children. Great for entertaining in the run-up or even replacing the Christmas pud itself

Break fasts of champions

Get the big day off to a flying start with our glorious brekkies, setting the tone for the delights ahead. Best of all, they’re either speedy to make or can be prepped ahead

Be a Better Festive Cook

ENTERTAIN LIKE A PRO THIS YEAR WITH THE HELP OF OUR EXPERTS. GET YOUR CHEESEBOARD IN SHAPE, LEARN THE SECRETS OF PERFECT BEEF WELLINGTON, LET CORNISH CHEFS SORT YOUR SEAFOOD SPREAD AND MAKE AN EPIC YULE LOG

SAY CHEESE!

For delicious. head of food Tom Shingler, the real hero of Christmas is the cheeseboard. He shares what’s going on his this year, along with things to keep in mind when planning your own, before food producer Pollyanna Coupland provides two ingenious cheese-accompaniment recipes to steal the show

BEEF WELLINGTON

No shortcuts. No cheat ingredients. Our best of the best series takes the view that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Each month we examine a classic dish, analysing why it tastes so good, then we give you our ultimate recipe. This month: the food team’s Pollyanna Coupland rolls into action with a beef wellington

Celebratory seafood

Christmas is a time to push the boat out with quality ingredients, and what better produce is there than British fish and seafood? We asked some of our favourite Cornish chefs to share their best fishy recipes including an extravagant fruits de mer platter, a magnificent whole fish and a luxurious bowl of smooth and creamy taramasalata. Dive in and enjoy!

The ultimate Yule log

Create a magical woodland scene with this festive bake from expert pastry chef Phil Khoury – it’s studded with luxurious liqueur cherries, rolled in a pistachio sponge and coated with a rich chocolate ganache. Most magical of all, it’s vegan too

DON’T BIN IT!

Cheeseboard leftovers

GET ORGANISED!

It’s a good time to rethink how you use your fridge and freezer to save money, reduce waste and keep food fresher for longer. Recipe writer and leftovers expert Elly Curshen shares her practical tips

LOVING YOUR LEFTOVERS

After all the excitement of the big day, you might well be left with a fridge full of bits and bobs from the feast and a huge, slightly sad turkey carcass. Keep the celebrations going and bring back the festive sparkle with delicious. food producer Emily Gussin’s creative recipes

“Our motto has always been: let’s give it a go”

At Christmas we are moved to remember those who are no longer here. Dave Myers, one half of the beloved Hairy Bikers, sadly died in February. In his honour, Si King has completed the cookbook they’d been working on together. ‘Kingy’ shares fond memories from their friendship and the dish they bonded over more than 30 years ago

BOTTLE & POUR

December sees more cocktail shakers shaken than at any other time of year – but if you’re hosting, the last thing you need is to be stuck in the kitchen measuring out liquids to order. Head of food Tom Shingler’s five festively coloured bottled cocktails mean you can focus on being an absolute riot at your own party while ensuring everyone is suitably refreshed throughout the night – and the bottles make great gifts too

Susy’s best party buys

Whether you’re toasting Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or new year, expert Susy Atkins recommends the best wines, spirits, cocktails, softies and mixers to help your party go with a swing – plus she has some handy mulling tips and a little bit of news…

Selection-box brews

Beer school.

Make it every day.

Weeknights need to be easy in December but cosy too. Enter simple soul food from Kate Humble, foolproof but glorious slow-cook suppers and a tantalising crab lasagne

Simple satisfaction

Food doesn’t have to be complicated to taste good, as these four recipes from celebrated TV presenter and broadcaster Kate Humble show

SLOWLY DOES IT…

Time’s precious at this time of year – how will you get everything done AND cook comforting meals that are full of flavour? Easy. Dust off the slow cooker and rustle up one of Charlotte Pike’s brilliant recipes. They’re all super-quick to prepare, leaving you time to get on while the gadget does its thing

WIN! A luxury spa break for two in the Suffolk countryside

Enter our competition for a chance to win two nights at Seckford Hall Hotel with a full spa day, afternoon tea, breakfast and a three-course dinner included in the prize*

Layers of luxury

For a special Christmas Eve dinner that’s not too taxing, or just to add a sense of occasion to a Tuesday night in the run-up, this lasagne fits the bill beautifully

Europe’s cosiest city

Prague, with its beautifully preserved Old Town filled with welcoming cafés, beer halls and restaurants, should be high on your list for a weekend break this winter. And, as food and travel writer Neil Davey discovers, there’s a more cutting-edge side to the ‘Paris of the East’ too

Recipe index

December

PUZZLES PAGE

There’s a prize to be won and food knowledge to be tested with Hugh Thompson’s crossword and festive food quiz. Take a break with a cuppa and a few choccies

My Christmas nightmare? Cooking in someone else’s kitchen

Forget simmering family tensions and arguments over the remote. According to food writer Claire Ruston, the most stressful thing about Christmas is having to cook in an unfamiliar place