Christmas recipes you love - add yours

I made Nigella's Cranberry Sauce yesterday. It took about 10 minutes and tasted delicious. I'd even consider having it with the turkey, and I'm a fruit/meat combo hater.

It was 3 ingredients, plus water, chucked in a pan. I was shocked at it's simplicity.

I'm going to attempt her mincepies and rocky road.

My mum compiled a Christmas cook book back in the olden days (the 80s anyway) and her apricot brandy butter and cream-cheese topped mince pies with orange pastry are fab (even if the latter sounds rank ?)

Also Nigella's gingerbread muffins.

We too are nigella-ing this year, we're attempting the rib of beef, potatoes, parsnips, red cabbage and her ham.

Her spiced ham went down really well last year, as did a fab coleslaw recipe - not hers. I can't find it this year so we're doing hers instead.

I was looking forward to making my mum's mince pies, christmas cake and puddings (all from great grandma's recipes) this year, but MIL is bringing all of the above. I felt it churlish to refuse her offer, but I am a bit disappointed as nothing beats my mum's recipes - and MIL's pastry is nothing compared to my mum's! I can't replicate it myself, sadly, but I was going to have a good go!

Hazel my MIL does those cream cheese mince pies - hers are not that great though so I'm a bit put off the idea!

They can be nice but too much cream cheese and they ming massively. And obviously anything baked by your MIL would stick in anyone's throat ?

What a great thread! I now have a Christmas book and print out any new recipes I try, so that I have them in future years. The best ones from this thread will no doubt be included ?

I am a Nigella fan too and would second chocolate brownies, I've made whole batches for presents this year. Also Delia's shortbread - perfect every time.

I love Delia's mincemeat which I made back in October - I'll try Nigella's next time I think. However, I followed a fab Good Housekeeping recipe for mince pies that including the mincemeat and adding some cranberries and booze, and they're lovely. I don't imagine they're that dissimilar. I have also made their cranberry and clementine sauce and bread sauce and have them in the freezer - both are lovely. I can't find the recipes online.

I will also make Nigella's Coffee, Walnut and Butterscotch cake as a present for my FIL as he's so difficult to buy for and is a coffee and walnut cake fanatic. My Dad will have Mary Berry's ginger traybake which is always wonderful.

I have made Nigella's white chocolate and cranberry cookies and this recipe from Asda for white chocolate and cranberry flapjacks - and they are stunning.

I am going to be so fat after Christmas ? The rellies had better appreciate the effort or they're getting Old Spice gift packs next year ?

My nanna's sausage meat stuffing recipe, which is just sausage meat, onion and herbs mixed together and cooked in a loaf tin, but it's divine.

Hi all

prob a silly question but where do i get cherry brandy from for nigellas cranberry sause?

thanks all

happy cooking

lisa x

Most supermarkets and off licences stock it

Thanks Hazel

Lx

We so the cream cheese mince pies and they are lovely

the main recipe is off the tante marie site ( not sure if it still exists)

but basically a sweet rich short crust made with orange juice

a bit of sugar in some philadephia

dabbed on top of mincemeat - i personally think it benefits from dousing the mincemeat in a leettle bit of cointreau for orange overload

Is nigella's mince pie recipe the little ones with stars on top? Can I use the same recipe for "normal" - totally cover in pastry/normal sized ones or does the pastry not lend itself to having so much pastry?

James Master's Vanilla fudge... heavenly

James Master's Marshmallow... dead easy and very effective and delicious.

Nigella's gingerbread stuffing... oh my lordy lordy it tasted goooooooood, can't wait to have it on Christmas Day now ?.

Orange Pastry mince pies

HFW Turkish Delight, and I don't even like the stuff! Was so much fun to make last night though.

Nigella Rocky Road... yuuuuuuuum, especially when made with ginger snaps as I don't like amaretti biscuits (and ginger snaps are cheaper...)

Hi

Hope you don't mind me asking, is there one book of Nigella's which has all the Christmas recipes in, or is it spread across a few of them. I have Nigella Express, but none of the others, and there doesn't seem to be that many in this one.

This year I've done Nigel Slater's stollen recipe instead of cake. Dead simple and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Delia's cranberry relish.

Not especially Christmassy, but I'm just eating Nigel Slater's artichoke soup, but with crispy bacon crumbled in instead of garlic butter and it's wonderful. Prob best not in polite company though ? [holds nose]

OK, ignore me, just been having a mooch on Amazon, I guess the one entitled 'Nigella's Christmas' may be a bit of a giveaway! ?

That's the new one I think, I have Feast which has a Christmas section.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nigella-Christmas-Family-Friends-Festivities/dp/0701183225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229950731&sr=1-1

I alway make a large jar of "Christmas Chutney" I think its a Mary Berry recipe.

I made some orange and walnut mincemeat + very buttery cream cheesy pastry = the only mince pies I have ever liked. I think that was a Sophie Grigson recipe.

Homemade christmas pudding with thick double cream, I pick a different recipe each year.

Not very original but I love Ham in Coke. I have to have it every year and tend to eat it in chunks with left over bread sauce. Yum!

Thanks to a wonderful friend of mine we are having a bit of a celeb foodie Christmas. She works for TV chefs as the "here's one I made earlier" chef and gets to bring a lot home with her. She's sent me home with a huge box of goodies including a Nigella Christmas pudding and Hairy Biker mince pies. I'm in heaven!

Thanks Wordsworth & Platty

I'm making the cranberry sauce tomorrow. H had to go to Waitrose in London for cranberries though, none of the supermarkets around here had any at all. I am making all of Nigella's Christmas lunch (except the orsottos and christmas pudding) including brining the turkey. I also had huge problems getting a pudding bowl as they are sold out everywhere and have had to get one without a lid and will be covering in foil.

I am also making Jamie's turkey salad though as it looked lovely, kind of like crispy duck almost. Recipe here if anyone is interested: http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/asian-inspired-turkey-salad-recipe_p_1.html I have had to substitute the pomegranates with bought juice and seeds though as I couldn't get a pomegranate anywhere either (sense a theme)

PS: I bought cherry brandy no problem from Tesco yesterday. I also wondered where to get it from beforehand. I am using Nigella Christmas too as I don't have Feast.

who is your friend? can i be her friend too? she sounds lovely ?

i'm about to tackle the nigel slater stolen.

i've recently made nigella's rainy day cookies but added 20g cocoa powder in place of 20g of the flour.

She really is rather wonderful but bless her, her job sucks sometimes, she describes herself as a "kitchen b!tch" ? Great perks though and I do appreciate the goodies, her fridge is always bursting. She also gets sent numerous products, like Kitchen Aids, Magimixs and more Sophie Conran products than I've ever seen! I've asked her to leave me her shed in her will ? Mmmm, you can't be her friend I'm afraid, I like to keep her to myself!

oooh, Hazel, you are the only other person i have met that knows of these! My mum makes them , the recipe was passed to her by my aunt, who lives your way down south, are you from there originally? is it a local recipe? are we related? ?

Cream cheese is the devil's knob gravy.

Cream cheese is bloody lovely, i suppose you hate cheese cake too? weirdo.

Why would I want a cake that tastes of cream cheese? You are the weirdo.

Gah You cant get Nigella Christmas over here ?

Can anyone provide the cranberry sauce recipe (oh and maybe the mince pies and gingerbread muffins ?)

Hole, it may be that your poor simple tastebuds have yet to evolve.

Https://foodnetwork.co.uk/redder-than-red-cranberry-sauce?utm_source=foodnetwork.com&utm_medium=domestic

Cranberry sauce: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/redder-than-red-cranberry-sauce-recipe/index.html

Think these are mince pies: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/startoppedmincepies_90618.shtml