Nigella christmas

Nothing will ever take the place of my Ham in Coca-Cola from Bites — in my heart or on my table — but this slow-baked ham is a revelation of a different sort. The meat is astonishingly tender and carves into thin slices with ease; there is also very little shrinkage, and no wrangling with large joints of meat in boiling liquid. I always like a ham for the holidays — hot, it is spectacular, and it is helpful, after, to have cold ham to bring out alongside cold turkey (and for general sandwich…

This tangy, subtly cheesy mash with a crunchy topping has revolutionised my cooking life

Nigella's Christmas Muffins are made with flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clementines, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and dried cranberries, topped with demerara sugar for a festive treat ready in just 35 minutes!

Nigella Lawson's Italian Christmas Cake is made with Tuaca liqueur, eggs, caster sugar, mascarpone cheese, double cream, Marsala wine, marrons glacés, chocolate chips, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds. This delicious Italian Christmas Cake recipe creates a delightful dessert that takes about 12 hours to chilling and 20 minutes to prepare and can serve up to 10 people.

This recipe is my own but at the same time a conflation of a couple of Italian Christmas must-haves: the glorious, fruit-studded panettone and crema di mascarpone, which is best described as tiramisu without the Savoiardi biscuit layer, and sometimes with pieces of chocolate stirred through the mascarpone mixture. I have brought in a cassata element, which means I add, along with the chocolate, some crumbled marrons glaces (though any candied or dried fruits could do) and chopped pistachios…

fruit cake

I think this really says it all. I have written so many recipes for trifle, I scarcely dare reiterate my love for it, but this, perhaps the most traditional of my offerings.

I know a biryani sounds like a daunting undertaking, but it really doesn’t have to be. For one thing, you cook the chicken a day (or up to a couple of days) in advance, which breaks up the process into manageable tasks. Furthermore, not only will the flavours deepen and mellow overnight, but the chicken will be gorgously tender. On top of which, it leaves you to do no more on the day itself than cook the rice – and for just two minutes! – then layer it up in a pan with the gently reheated…

This is the way I make my mince pies, and there is no changing me or them: they are small, to be popped straight into the mouth in one go; the pastry is plain, the better to contrast with the rich, fruited filling; and they have not full casings but little stars as lids, which makes them look beautiful and taste flutteringly light. By all means use good shop-bought mincemeat if you want, but I'm hoping you might give my new Cranberry-Studded Mincemeat a go: it tastes both rich and boozy and…