The plan for this festive menu was to make everything delicious but stress-free.

So we called in food stylist Steve Pearce and recipe writer Jessica Brook from Sage Creative Co to share their secrets for a lovely, lazy Christmas meal.

“Some salads just get better with age,” says Jessica of the supplementary offerings they came up with. “Potato salad always tastes best when it’s had time to sit in its dressing, so this is perfect to make a day ahead of time. And always peel the skin to allow the dressing to flavour the flesh.

“The bread and heirloom tomato salad also gets better the longer the ingredients have had time to sit,” she continues. “In-season tomatoes and the chargrilled bread soak up vinegar and dressings, and taste better after marinating. I like to chargrill the bread a few days in advance and keep up to a week wrapped in cling film. On the day, you simply add the burrata and spoon over the oil.

“A glazed ham is a great carve-as-you-sit option. The glaze can be made up to a week in advance, using really simple ingredients that you can reduce down into a stunning glaze. This particular ham cooks flesh-side down, which creates a self-glaze cooking process. And I would recommend you glaze the ham a day ahead, then reheat any additional glaze in a small saucepan over a low heat to serve.”

“And a no-stress dessert is essential,” adds Steve. “Pavlova is a show-stopper and perfect to make a couple of days ahead, as you need time for it to cool slowly in an oven, drying the shell to crispness, leaving you free to throw on easy storebought toppings as you serve.”