December brings our year to an end with short days and cold nights as we enjoy warming comfort food, stove top slow cooking and traditional seasonal ingredients. It also allows a time of reflection and nostalgia, with the hope for a good new year to come for all.

Our big day mains this year will be traditional roast Turkey and a Squash Cranberry and Mushroom Wellington. I always put half a lemon, half an onion, bay and rosemary inside the turkey cavity and some of the stuffing mix into the neck end. Then carefully ease under that skin to smear on the butter with added black pepper, garlic and herbs and to keep that moisture in. I don’t add salt as it can dry the flesh, but instead, sprinkle some sea salt flakes over the skin towards the end of cooking. The gravy will be made in advance, then the extra meat juices added on the day. There are lots of “get ahead gravy” recipes out there, but the best one by far is made by roasting chicken wings with onion, carrot, celery and bacon along with herbs such as bay, rosemary and sage. Drizzle with oil, season and roast in the oven (or over the stove) for an hour, then mash it all up, add a good glug of sherry or port and thicken with flour and boiling water or stock, strain through a sieve pushing as much as possible through with the back of a spoon. This will keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze until required when the meat cooking juices can be added.

Some lovely appetiser recipes can be easily made in advance, using ready-made puff pastry to make a simple tart using seasonal combinations of ingredients such as brie and cranberry, stilton and walnut, beetroot and goats cheese, sausage and leek, brie and black grape, honey glazed parsnip with potato and rosemary, bacon and mushroom with cheddar, smoked salmon trimmings with beaten egg and finely grated parmesan or gruyere…………………the list is endless! Simply roll out the sheet onto a floured surface, cut into squares or rounds, then score about an inch in around the edges, egg wash the edges for colour, top with whatever you like (precook the potato, sausage, onion etc. in a little oil and seasoning in a frying pan) and bake in a hot oven.

Serve these with a crunchy seasonal slaw or a cucumber and pomegranate salad. If you don’t want to make your own coleslaw then use shop bought and add a different twist by squeezing in some orange juice and zest, adding cranberries, walnuts, or even salted nuts and some freshly chopped parsley.

Another quick and easy appetiser is little individual mousses, served with a side of salad and a light dressing.

QUICK TUNA MOUSSE  (makes 4 individual portions)
1 tin tuna, drained weight 75g
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp milk
4 tbsp mayonnaise
125g grated cheddar cheese
½ small red onion, finely chopped
pinch salt and pepper
Lemon wedges to serve

Mix all the ingredients and spoon into buttered individual ramekins pots or use a muffin tin. Bake in a hot oven for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and a salad garnish.

SMOKED SALMON AND BOURSIN TERRINE
Smoked salmon is a seasonal treat and this SMOKED SALMON AND BOURSIN TERRINE is perfect for this time of year.
500g smoked salmon
½ cucumber, halved lengthways and seeds scooped out
80g pack garlic and herb Boursin
200 ml tub crème fraiche
2 tbsp freshly chopped dill
1 tbsp horseradish

Mix together the Boursin, crème fraiche and dill, season, cover and chill. Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film, leaving some hanging over the sides, then neatly line the base and side with the pieces of smoked salmon in two layers. Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber lengthways into thin strips and arrange half on top of the salmon in the base of the tin. Spoon half the Boursin and dill mixture over the cucumber, smooth the top over with the back of a spoon, then arrange some more salmon pieces over the top, followed by the remaining cucumber slices. Add the remaining cheese mixture over the top and smooth over. Top with a final two layers of smoked salmon and then use the overhanging cling film to cover the terrine. Weigh it down to compact the terrine and chill for at least two hours. Unwrap the terrine and turn out onto a flat surface, carefully peel off the clingfilm and cut into slices to serve.

Another favourite is a BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUT WHIP served with crunchy vegetables or sliced avocado and crusty toasted bread. Also delicious served with crispy roasted parsnip spears. 75g soft blue cheese such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola 150 ml mayonnaise juice of 1 lime 8 – 10 walnut halves, chopped into small pieces 100 ml double cream or crème fraiche ½ tsp minced garlic pinch salt and pepper

Whisk the cheese and mayonnaise together until well combined, then add in the other ingredients to form a smooth whip consistency. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Time saving stuffing can be made by using shop bought dried mix and adding onions, apples, nuts, dried fruit and fresh herbs. The zest and juice of a fresh lemon and some finely chopped shallots and sage leaves are the perfect combination for a stuffing to serve with turkey.

A simple STUFFING ROLL will compliment most roasts and can be made in advance. Place a rectangular piece of baking paper on a baking tray and line it with streaky bacon. Top with a thin compact layer of sausage meat, finely chopped onions, apples, herbs (such as sage, parsley and thyme) and cranberries. Roll up into an oblong shape with the paper, wrap tightly in foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Up to this stage can be done in advance, then remove the foil and cook a little longer until browned on the edges.

GAMMON COOKED IN GINGER BEER works really well, and can even be cooked in a lidded pot over the stove, low and slow is the best way.
Soak first in cold water for 8 to 24 hours, changing the water once or twice. If you don’t soak you can bring it to the boil in a large pan of water, then strain and rinse with clean water before the main cooking process. Or if you prefer a saltier taste then don’t soak at all.

This ginger ale recipe is an old passed down family recipe:
Mix together 2 tbsp soft brown dark sugar, 1 tbsp mustard powder and 1 tbsp ginger powder. Rub the flesh of the gammon with half the mixture and place in a lidded pan or pot, pour the ginger beer in the pot to cover most of the meat and cook slowly over the stove. Add a bay leaf and star anise for extra flavour. Once cooked, take the fatty rind off the top, score the flesh and rub the rest of the mixture over, finish off in the oven to crisp up.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH WELLINGTON
1 butternut squash, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
10g fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
150g chestnut mushrooms, diced
150g pack cooked whole chestnuts, roughly chopped
50g dried cranberries
1 slice of bread, blitzed into crumbs
1 egg, beaten
500g block puff pastry,
flour for dusting
85g cheese, such as goat’s or parmesan, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 180 fan, Cut the squash into thirds along its length, then cut each piece into 6 – 8 chunky wedges, de-seed, toss in oil, season, roast for 35 mins, set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in a little oil until softened, add the garlic and sage, followed by the mushrooms, stir in the chestnuts and cranberries and continue to cook until any liquid has evaporated.
Remove from the heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and half the beaten egg, set aside to cool. To assemble, cut off a third of the pastry and roll out to a rectangle (about 18 x 26cm) and arrange the roasted squash down the length of the pastry, leaving 3cm border around the edges.
Stir the goat’s cheese through the mushroom stuffing and season. Then pack the stuffing on top of the squash to create a rounded log shape. Roll out the remaining pastry on a floured worktop until large enough to cover the top of the wellington. Brush the border around the squash with the beaten egg, then place the second sheet of pastry over the top, press the edges together with a fork, and trim off any remaining bits to make shapes to place over the top, sticking on with more egg wash, brush all over with the remaining egg wash.
By chilling the assembled wellington for an hour before cooking, better results are achieved.
Bake for about 30 to 40 mins until the pastry is golden. To get ahead, the assembled wellington can be frozen prior to cooking, cook from frozen allowing a little extra time.

To Finish

STEAMED PEAR AND CHESTNUT SPONGE Cooked on the stove top. Cooking time for this is 1 ½ hours on a low heat in a pan filled half way up with water, it may take longer over the stove.
3 conference pears
1 large knob of butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp brown sugar
100g butter
100g caster sugar
finely grated zest of two oranges
2 eggs
100g self-raising flour, sifted
Pinch salt
1 tsp grated nutmeg
75g cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp black treacle

Use a heatproof 1 ½ pint bowl or pudding basin, lightly butter the edges and dust with a little flour.

Peel, halve and core the pears, then dice into small pieces. Melt the butter in a pan and allow to bubble before adding the pears and brown sugar, allow soften and slowly caramelise to brown. Allow to cool.
To make the sponge, beat the butter and caster sugar together with the orange zest, until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the combined flour, salt and nutmeg. Work together the golden syrup and treacle, spoon into the prepared pudding basin along with 1/3 of the caramelised pears. Combine the remaining pears with the sponge mix and then spoon into the basin. Cover with buttered greaseproof paper and foil. Place the basin in a lidded of pan of boiling water and cook over the stove for up to two hours. Peep at the pudding after about 1 ½ hours, you’ll know when it’s cooked when the sponge top is firm and leaving the edges of the bowl.
Serve with crème fraiche, custard or cream.

For a final festive note, here’s hoping everyone stays warm and safe this winter and embraces the beauty of our outdoors, whether it be those murky grey short days, or the brighter crispy clear days, when we look forward to the new year to come and the hope of peace, kindness and joy.</span></span>