‘Tis the season to be… stuffing our faces. Yes, Christmas is the one time of year we don’t have to feel guilty about what we eat (there’s always January to start the diet, right?) - so gather together family and friends and tuck right in.
If you need inspiration for mouth-watering seasonal recipe ideas, then look no further - here are six of the best Christmas cookbooks.
Christmas Cookies to Make and Bake
by Ryland Peters & Small:£9.99, Ryland Peters & Small Ltd
Here you’ll find delightfully cute recipes for all your favourite festive cookies as well as some fun new ones to try. Ingenious ideas in Decorations include Advent Numbered Cookies, Snowflake Cookies and little iced Christmas Wreaths to hang on your tree. Festive Friends includes recipes for super-cute Snowmen, Penguins and Gingerbread Men that will make little ones squeal with delight. Cookie Gifts is full of foolproof yet impressive recipes just perfect for packaging prettily, including Sparkling Ornament Cookies and a giant Santa Cookie resplendent in his red suit and hat.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas
by Lizzie Kamenetzky With Recipes From Bake Off Judges & Contestants, £20, BBC Books
Whip up tempting Christmas nibbles like Potato Blinis with Smoked Salmon, or Parmesan Palmiers, perfect for a party. Spice up your home – and get the kids involved too – with Stained Glass Tree Biscuits and a Raspberry and Cinnamon Christmas Wreath. For the main event, there is plenty of inspiration for tempting party nibbles or a festive feast, like Baked Christmas Ham or a Venison Pie – and ingenious ideas for how to make the most of all those leftovers.
Cocktail Cookbook
by Oskar Kinberg: £18, Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a cheeky cocktail. Here, Oskar Kinberg presents 75 cocktails that will change the way you drink. The master barman shows you simple recipes for homemade bar ingredients such as nettle cordial, olive oil-infused gin and kiwi and avocado puree – and then how to incorporate them into original cocktails, all invented and tested at his destination drinking den Oskar’s Bar in London.
Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook
by Jamie Oliver, £26, Penguin Books Ltd
Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook is packed with all the classics you need for the big day and beyond, as well as loads of delicious recipes for edible gifts, party food and new ways to love those leftovers. It’s everything you need for the best Christmas ever.
Nigella Christmas: Easy-to-Follow Recipes and Reassuring Advice
by Nigella Lawson: £20, Chatto & Windus
With her no-nonsense approach and inspirational ideas, combined with reassuring advice and easy-to-follow, reliable recipes, Nigella Christmas is guaranteed to bring comfort and joy, and make sure the season of good will stays that way.
Here is everything you need to make your Christmas easy and enjoyable, from party food ideas and scrumptious cakes and puddings to the main event itself – turkey with all the trimmings, a vegetarian Christmas dinner or a wide range of delicious alternatives.
Delia’s Happy Christmas
by Delia Smith: £25, Ebury Publishing
Delia’s Happy Christmas will give you 150 recipes, including 100 new recipes and 50 much-loved classics, plus menu plans and shopping lists, illustrated with glorious full-colour photography. There are recipes for all your favourite traditional dishes - Delia’s Classic Christmas Cake recipe has been in print for over 40 years and has never been bettered, but Delia has also created a Chestnut Cupcakes recipe to satisfy modern tastes. Of course there is Delia’s foolproof recipe for a Traditional Roast Turkey and all the trimmings, and The Only Traditional Christmas Pudding as well as ideas for parties, boxing-day suppers, vegetarian feasts and what to do with leftovers.
