MY FAVOURITE FESTIVE RECIPES... MADE SIMPLE

Let Gordon Ramsay take the stress out of YOUR Christmas with his delicious dishes – and a few time-saving tricks

As a father, chef and food writer, I’ve certainly cooked my fair share of festive feasts – and each year, without fail, I’m asked for my ideas about what food to serve at Christmas. So here I’m sharing some of my favourite recipes, from a super-easy roast turkey with all the trimmings to a heavenly honey-glazed ham and melt-in-themouth steamed pudding with whisky cream. It’s a delicious collection of dishes that I hope will really impress your family and friends.

Crucially I’ve made them as easy and straightforward as possible, so anyone can put them together. I want you to enjoy time with your guests rather than spending hours in the kitchen, getting stressed over complicated recipes and timings. I never cut corners when it comes to flavour, but I’ve learned many time-saving tricks over the years – and I’m sharing my knowledge and experience here so you can produce fantastic food with the minimum of fuss.

In our exclusive series, which continues in the Daily Mail next week, I’ve also included some knockout recipes from my new book, Quick And Delicious, which will work brilliantly for your festive entertaining. Each takes only about 30 minutes to prepare, but they all punch above their weight when it comes to taste.

Planning is key to saving time and stress. I’d suggest following my Christmas Countdown [right] so you can prepare as much as possible in advance to avoid panic on the big day. I’ll also be giving you clever labour-saving cheats throughout.

Whether you’re cooking for the main event, preparing a Boxing Day buffet or hosting a dinner for friends, I hope you’ll feel inspired to prepare some of these fabulous dishes. And above all, I sincerely hope you enjoy the festivities.

Happy Christmas!

There’s no better way to welcome friends and family into yourhomeatchristmasthan with warming glasses of aromatic mulled wine.

Serves 4-5

750ml (1¼pt) good-quality red wine

7 cardamom pods

MULLED WINE

5 cloves

2 star anise

1 halved cinnamon stick

1 stalk of lemongrass, snipped into pieces

Pared zest of 1 orange, plus its flesh, in segments

1tbsp demerara sugar 2 pieces of stem ginger from a jar, chopped, plus 2tbsp of their syrup

Warm the wine in a pan over a gentle heat. Tie the spices and lemongrass in muslin to form a bag. Add to the pan with the remaining ingredients and heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let it boil. Ladle into cups or glasses to serve.